


Underbelly War

by Starway1123



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: 2P America (Hetalia), 2P Austria (Hetalia), 2P Canada (Hetalia), 2P China (Hetalia), 2P England (Hetalia), 2P France (Hetalia), 2P Germany (Hetalia), 2P Japan (Hetalia), 2P North Italy (Hetalia), 2P Prussia (Hetalia), 2P Russia (Hetalia), 2P South Italy (Hetalia), 2P Spain (Hetalia), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Blood and Violence, Gang Violence, Gen, Gun Violence, Mafia AU, Mafia South Italy (Hetalia), Mafia Spain (Hetalia), Past Relationship(s), hetalia AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-24
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2019-11-29 11:35:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 61,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18222605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starway1123/pseuds/Starway1123
Summary: The world has been controlled by six main mafia families; The Gotts Boten, who rules the Germanic Countries, The Ordo Equitum Solis Family, who rule the Latin Countries, The Sovetskiy Soyuz Family, who rule the Slavic Countries, The Lóng Shé Family, who rule the East Asia, The Arap Şövalyeleri Family, who rule the Middle Eastern and Ottoman Countries, and The Wild Kid Family, the only secret mafia organization, who take charge of the New World Countries.The mafia families often fight against each other, but suddenly there are attacks happening across the globe, and the families must put aside their differences to eliminate the threat happening to their world.Mafia AU





	1. Character List

**Author's Note:**

> Not gonna lie, there are a lot of characters in this. Below will be a list of all the characters and their human names, so if you are confused to who is who, this list will be here. But be wary that there are some characters in the list that have not appeared in this story as of yet.
> 
> If you DO NOT want to be spoiled skip this page, or at least be careful.
> 
> Also that list will update if I decide to add any more characters.
> 
> Also another notification, I will only add characters that have been shown/mentioned in the manga and anime, so no OC's.
> 
> Kinda....
> 
> Anyway, Enjoy! :)

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________  
Germanic Family- The Gottes Boten Family

Germany

\- (Ludwig Beilschmidt)

Prussia

\- (Gilbert Beilschmidt)

Austria

\- (Roderich Edelstein)

England

\- (Arthur Kirkland)

Switzerland

\- (Basch "Vash" Zwingli)

Lichtenstein

\- (Erika Zwingli)

Sweden

\- (Berwald Oxenstierna)

Denmark

\- (Abel Denson)

Finland

\- (Tino Väinämöinen)

Norway

\- (Lukas Bondevik)

Iceland

\- (Emil Steilsson)

Netherlands

\- (Govert Jansen)

Estonia

\- (Eduard von Bock)

Scotland

\- (Allistor Kirkland)

Wales

\- (Dylan Kirkland)

North Ireland

\- (Seamus Kirkland)

Ireland

\- (Patrick K Walsh)

 

________________________________________________________________________________

Latin Family- Ordo Equitum Solis Family

North Italy

\- (Feliciano Vargas)

South Italy

\- (Lovino Vargas)

France

\- (Francis Bonnefoy)

Spain

\- (Antonio Fernández Carriedo)

Portugal

\- (João Henrique Lisboa-Carriedo)

Romania

\- (Vladimir Popescu)

Belgium

\- (Bella Jansen)

Monaco

\- (Monica B Chastain)

Luxembourg

\- (Victor Jansen)

Croatia

\- (Časlov Uzelac)

________________________________________________________________________________ 

Slavik Family-The Sovetskiy Soyuz Family

Russia

\- (Ivan Buraginsuki)

Ukraine

\- (Yekaterina Smirnov)

Belarus

\- (Natalya Arlovskaya)

Lithuania

\- (Toris Laurinaitis)

Latvia

\- (Raivis Galante)

Moldova

\- (Aurel Popescu)

Poland

\- (Feliks Łukasiewicz)

Czech Republic

\- (Alžběta Zahradnik)

Bulgaria

\- (Boris Bookamooka)

Hungary

\- (Elizabeta Héderváry)

Slovakia

\- (Matúš Kováč)

________________________________________________________________________________ 

Asians- The Lóng Shé Family

China

\- (Wang Yao)

Taiwan

\- (Xiamen Mei)

Japan

\- (Kiku Honda)

Macau

\- (Cheng Wang)

India

\- (Neeraja Patel)

South Korea

\- (Im Yong Soo)

Hong Kong

\- (Wong Jia Long)- Mandarin

\- (Lei Siu Chun)- Cantonese

Vietnam

\- (Lien Chung)

Thailand

\- (Tai Yodsuwan)

North Korea

\- (Im Hyung Soo)

Singapore

\- (Li Ann Chen)

Malaysia

\- (Zamrud Leong)

Indonesia

\- (Aisyah Sukarano)

Tibet

\- (Namgyal Tsomo)

Mongolia

\- (Altansarnai Ankhbayar)

 

________________________________________________________________________________ 

The New World/The Colonies-The Wild Kid Family

America

\- (Alfred F Jones)

Australia

\- (Christian Kirkland Baker)

New Zealand

\- (William Kirkland Parata)

Canada

\- (Matthew Williams)

Seychelles

\- (Michelle B Mancham)

Cuba

\- (Ricardo Cruz)

Cameroon

\- (Roshaun Aboya Jamar)

Ecuador

\- (Carlos Rodriguez Carriedo González)

Tonga

\- (Alinaswe Kelly)

Mexico

\- (Carlino Rodrigo González López )

 

________________________________________________________________________________ 

Ottoman Family- The Arap Şövalyeleri Family

Turkey

\- (Sadik Adnan)

Egypt

\- (Gupta Mohammad Hassan)

Greece

\- (Heracles Karpusi)

Cyprus

\- (Xander Polat)

________________________________________________________________________________ 

The Micro Family

Sealand

\- (Peter Kirkland)

Wy

\- (Wendy Kirkland Baker)

Serborga

\- (Stephano Vargas)

Molossia

\- (Ajex Williams Jones)

Hutt River

\- (Dwight Kirkland Baker)

Nikko Nikko

\- (Izako Honda)

Ladonia

\- (Felix Oxenstierna)

Kugelmugel

\- (Leopold Edelstein)

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus

\- (Alim Polat Adnan)

________________________________________________________________________________ 

2Ps

Italy

\- (Luciano Vargas)

Romano

\- (Flavino Vargas)

Germany

\- (Lutz Beilschmidt)

Prussia

\- (Klaus Beilschmidt)

Japan

\- (Honda Kuro)

England

\- (Oliver Kirkland)

France

\- (Francois Bonnefoy)

America

\- (Allen F Jones)

China

\- (Wang Zao)

Russia

\- (Viktor Braginsky)

Canada

\- (Matt Williams)

Denmark

\- (Magnus Denson)

Finland

\- (Thurston Väinämöinen)

Sweden

\- (Bernard Oxenstierna)

Iceland

\- (Egil Steilsson)

Norway

\- (Loki Bondevik)

Hungary

\- (Erzsebet Héderváry)

Ukraine

\- (Katya Braginskya)

Belarus

\- (Anastasia Arlovskaya)

Turkey

\- (Şakir Adnan)

Liechtenstein

\- (Elise Zwingli)

Switzerland

\- (Voss Zwingli)

Spain

\- (Andres Fernández Carriedo)

Austria

\- (Roland Edelstein)


	2. The First Move

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We begin during a foggy night in Berlin, where a certain Italian is about to carry out his mission.

It was a quiet night in Berlin. Fog cloaked the city like a toxic puff of a cigarette. Dark and hard to breathe from. No one would be out during this time. Only the crickets chirping and the water of the fountain flowing. Low jazz played in the empty clubs, a lazy attempt to bring in last minute customers on this cold night. A man walked the streets, his black gloved hands swinging by his side as the brown fastened jacket on his shoulders flapped behind him. His curl poked underneath his hat to the right, bouncing as he walked.

Bzzt!

Bzzt!

He sighed as he reached for the buzzing phone in his pocket. He pulled a silver flip phone and snapped it open with a flick of the wrist. "Pronto." He answered a bit aggressively. "Hola papi! Have you made it there yet?" A cheerful voice asked. "Damn it tomato bastard, I told you not to call while I'm working!" The man yelled in a thick Italian accent. "Aw~ come on, it's not nice to talk to your papi like that...." The other man whined. "Che palle! You're not the boss of the family! The closest is my brother, but he says we don't need a boss.... WHICH IS BULLSHIT!" The man yelled as he kept walking through the narrow German streets. "Oh querido.... Well you know papi. Family isn't just a man running everything, it's about the bonds." The voice on the other side chuckled. "You're sounding just like that cheerful idiot....." The man sighed. As he reached his destination, he looked to the side that he held his phone too. "Listen tomato bastard, I'm going in. Don't call me for the next hour. Got it?" He asked. "Of course! Good luck! Oh and papi...? Be careful...."

Click!

The Italian man hung up and stuffed the phone in his pocket. He looked up at the abandoned warehouse and sighed, rolling his shoulder. "That moron better be grateful for this..."

He dipped into the old warehouse, careful not to trip any alarms. As he fell from the ceiling, the coat stayed in place, flapping above him. He landed with a light tap and adjusted his red tie and suspenders. First, the surroundings.... Five guards, stacked of crates everywhere, a couple of ways out. He quickly barrel rolled behind a crate, the clacking of footsteps passing by his hiding spot. He tisked and checked his watch. "The time is 11:45.... Gotta get this done in 15 minutes...." He thought. He stayed perfectly still as the guard took his position.

When he confirmed the man stopped moving, he peeked from his spot, the guard with his turned back was watching the centre of the room. The man creeped up behind him softly, before covering the guard's mouth with his black glove stained with chloraphom. The guard tried to struggle, but began to feel drowsy and went limp in the man's arms. "Che! One potato bastard down...." The man muttered, dragging him behind the crates.

He swiftly moved to the next guard, drugging him to sleep and hid him behind another crate. In five minutes, all the guards were drugged and asleep behind the crates. The man sighed and adjusted his velvet hat, decorated with a red band across the base. Now to business. He made sure everything was in place before nodding.

He turned around and walked towards the centre of the room, not before stuffing something in his right glove. Encased in glass was a beautiful crown, encrusted with rubies and emeralds, detailed with soft golden leaves and a German cross on top.

The man looked from side to side, making sure no one was watching him. He took out a glass cutter and began to cut the glass case. But before he could move the cutter....

BEEEEP!

INTRUDER ALERT

BEEEEP!

INTRUDER ALERT

"What the-!" The Italian man gasped, looking where he got caught. And there it was. In the corner, a single camera eyeing him with a beeping red light. "Pezzo di-!" He growled. Instantly, ten armed guards burst in, making a wall, aiming their guns at him. He tisked and put sighed, putting his fists in a fighting position.

"Well well well..... If it isn't the snooping dog of the Ordo Equitum Solis...." A man dressed in a white frilly shirt and long purple coat stepped into the area, adjusting his glasses. "I must give you credit, I never thought you'd have the courage to steal from the Gottes Boten family... But for one of your lower class family, it's unlike you to be this careless." The man eyed the thief, his eyes sharply glinting at him.

"Lovino Vargas...."

Lovino tisked and gave a smirk. "Well well well and if it isn't Roderich Edelstein, the pussy of the Gottes Boten bastards. Well, I must say I'm surprised you're here. If you can't stand the sight of blood or corpses why are you here if you intend to kill me?" Lovino sneered. Roderich gave a huff, pushing his glasses up causing them to reflect from the moonlight. "I am still an executive of the family. It is my job. Like how it's your job to die here." Roderich replied smuggly. Lovino gave off a closed laugh. "Well all you Germanic bastards forget one thing...." Lovino smirked and reached for the sky. All the soldiers tensed, reading their guns for the order.

"We Latin bastards...." Lovino tucked his left hand into his right glove and pulled out a remote with a red button on top. "Know how to get out of sticky situations."

 

He pressed the button, and a fastened beep was heard. From all walls, a faint rapid beep could be heard, before the room exploded into a white smog, Lovino's coat flying forward from the force. Not enough to make him invisible, but enough to stun the guards.

"Cough cough! Gas?! Why that little...! Kill him!" Roderich ordered, extending his hand out and using his free hand to block the gas. The goons opened fire at the Italian in their sights, but because of their earlier stun, their aim was sloppy. Lovino tucked his fingers into his pockets and jumped around. He dodged the barrage of bullets, watching Roderich try to get out of the room.

He tisked, he couldn't let Roderich leave! He jumped left and right as he continued forward. He ducked and ran towards the soldiers before he kicked their guns away and kneed them in the face. The soldiers tried to keep their composure and attack him by up close combat. Lovino just kicked them away, like the extras they were. He roundhoused kicked them in the neck, back kicked them into their stomach, axe kicked those who were trying to get back up. One thug tried to give him a suplex, but Lovino flicked his shoe and a hidden blade came out of the heel. He stepped on the thug's foot, piercing it. The thug screamed in pain and let go, Lovino kicking him away to the other side of the warehouse.

The next two goons swung electric batons at him. Lovino ducked, moved his head from side to side as he backed and the goons advanced. Lovino then ducked and swept kicked the German henchmen to the ground and axe kicked them both to prevent them from getting up.

The next wave of men came in, trying to shoot at him again. The bullets only tore through Lovino's loose coat, which made him pissed. "You bastards! Do you know how expensive Italian silk is?!" He roared, as he pulled his hands out of his pockets and threw knives all of them hitting their mark on the shooters' shoulders and all of them went down instantly. "Che! My tailor isn't going to be happy.... I'm going to send my bill to these stupid potato bastards!"

When all the thugs were down, he rushed towards and attempted to roundhouse kick Roderich, who turned around and kicked him back, their shins meeting with a hard thwack.

The two stood there for a while, their eyes interlocked with determination and hate for one another. They both jumped back and prepared to fight. Lovino, his hands back in his pockets, ran forward once more. Roderich tisked and pulled a whip from behind his coat.

The whip snapped behind Lovino as he had dodged the weapon. He took the opportunity and pulled at the whip, Rodrich pulling back. Lovino used this to his advantage and flew forward with Rodrich's help. Rodrich gasped and swiftly moved to the side before Lovino could kick him. Lovino flicked his wrist and two knives flicked from his sleeves. He twirled it in his hands and ran towards the snobbish German. Lovino took a swing from above, trying to stab him in the head. Roderich responded fast and pulled the Handle and the lower part of the Thong to create a rubber barrier between Lovino's knife-wielding wrist and Roderich's "beautiful" face.

Lovino smirked and took this opportunity to try to stab him in the stomach with his free hand. Roderich was already one step ahead and jumped into a high somersault. Lovino slipped out of the whip's barrier and spun around as the Austrian landed behind him with a skid. Lovino threw his knives at him, only for Roderich to smack them away with his whip. But he was distracted, as Lovino had kneed him hard in the face.

Roderich stumbled back, holding onto his now bloody nose, while Lovino used the momentum to backflip back into his stance. "Why you little...! Look what you did to my face!" Roderich gritted, flicking his whip around Lovino's ankle and pulled it with both hands, causing Lovino to fall on his back and hit the back of his head. "Ack!" He gasped, his back bouncing back up a bit. He felt a sharp heel on his stomach, causing him to grit his teeth in pain.

"You were always a bothersome child Lovino. I thought separating you from your brother and sending you to Spain would do you some good. Clearly, it didn't...." Roderich stepped harder on Lovino's stomach, the heel at the brink of piercing through his stomach. "Guah....!" Lovino winced. "Maybe I should teach you the old fashioned way.... Just like back then...." Roderich said darkly, raising his whip.

Lovino's eyes widened a bit, frozen in place. He had to move! He grabbed onto Roderick's ankle, tipping him over. "Never again bastard!" Lovino screamed. "Oof!" Roderich gasped, as Lovino took this to get away. He looked at his watch, 11:55. He had to go now! He ran to the second floor and spotted a glass window. He tsked looking behind him, Roderich following in hot pursuit. Lovino threw more knives at him, some tearing into his coat, others smacked away by the whip. Lovino tsked, and ran towards the window, the sound of glass shattering through the warehouse as Lovino escaped into the night.

OST Stop

Roderich quickly followed up to the window, watching the small dark figure running into the city of Berlin. The snobbish man tisked and pulled out a walkie-talkie, turning around to assess the damage. "The intruder has escaped. The crown is safe. Send in Investigation squads three, four, and five, and send more security. And get me my spare clothes." He ordered, releasing the button causing the walkie-talkie to crackle. He sighed and whipped out a clean white handkerchief and lightly dabbed his injured nose with it.

Five minutes later, the warehouse was under investigation. The injured carried out on stretchers, Roderich looking away with a gag. He sure hated blood. Speaking of which, he got changed into his spare uniform and threw his little bloodstained uniform and his now deep red handkerchief at one of the goons. "Burn it. I refuse to wear something with blood and something that filthy Italian touched." Roderich said in disgust.

"Jawohl!" The man saluted with a click of his heels before leaving the premise. Roderich sighed and lightly touched where he was hit. Luckily the medic fixed him up by stopping the bleeding. He looked at the crown with a hum, thinking a bit. "Herr Roderich!" Roderich turned around, a man saluting him. "Yes?" Roderich asked with a sigh. "The Vater und his brother have arrived on the premise, sir. They wish to see you." Roderich froze and groaned loudly. "Well tell them I'm busy." Roderich snapped back, turning towards the warehouse. "B-but sir they-"

"Kesesesesese~! Young master got into a fight?! Isn't that just hilarious?! Mister Artsy-Hands getting his hands dirty!"

"Bruder we are here on business, not to make fun of Roderich."

Roderich's body tensed as he heard those voices. "They said you don't have a choice...." The man finished, looking a bit sheepish. Roderich sighed and ordered the man to help with the clean up as he turned around to face the Vater and his stupid older brother.

He growled as the brothers approach him. One of them wearing a white shirt with a blue coat, white hair, piercing red eyes, and the most stupid grin on his face, the other with slicked-back blond hair, blue eyes, and a straight face, wearing a powerful black suit. "What are you two doing here? I don't recall asking for you to come. I am in charge of investigations, and I won't let you two get involved." Roderich grumbled, adjusting his glasses.

"Kesesese! That's no way to talk to ze AWESOME me Roddy!" The man with white hair snickered and teased. "I told you not to call me that!" Roderich snapped back. "In any case, Roderich...." The blond haired man interjected, looking at the aristocratic standard man. "I heard what happened. And as head of ze family, it is indeed my business. This was an attempted robbery after all." The bigger and blond man said in an authoritative manner.

Roderich tsked adjusting his glasses once more. "Fine. Just don't touch anything. This is my investigation after all." Roderich sighed, giving up. He looked into the warehouse where his men were working and called out for an announcement. "Listen up! Vater Ludwig und Herr Gilbert Beilschmidt has decided to grace you with their presence! Do not reflect your stupidity onto me!" Roderich ordered.

"Jawohl!" The room chorused, giving the three men a salute.

"Don't need a squad to do that..." Gilbert muttered under his breath. "VHAT vas zat Gilbert?" Roderich gritted, his eyebrow twitching. "Nothing!" Gilbert whistled innocently. Ludwig sighed heavily, heading to the crown and examined it while the other two started arguing. He hummed, then looked at the other two who were still bickering. "Roderich, have you found out why he tried to steal the crown yet?" Ludwig asked. Roderich, who was grasping Gilbert by the collar, sighed and faced Ludwig, letting go of Gilbert. "Nein. We are still trying to figure that out. But far as we can see no connections between the crown and those hopeless Romantics. The crown was made by German hands, worn by German rulers, and has been in our hands for five generations. No history between the crown and them." Austria explained, stepping forward next to Ludwig and staring at the crown. "Maybe they wanted it for blackmail or the black market." Gilbert suggested, chewing on a chocolate bar as he stepped forward as well. "But I must admit, Feliciano's brohaus has definitely put a number on zis place. Never zought zat they vould be zis strong." Gilbert thought to himself in between chews.

Ludwig growled a bit at that name Gilbert instantly looking to the ground shutting up. He forgot that Feliciano was a bit of a touchy subject for Ludwig. Ludwig sighed before turning to Roderich. "Vhat of the security footage?" Ludwig asked. "Sent a man down a minute ago. Waiting for him to bring the footage now." Roderich said. "Mmm by ze way, Roddy." Gilbert spoke out, wiping his mouth. "Just a tip, why did you put the prize in the centre of the God damn room? You might as well put a "Steal me!" sign right on top." Gilbert snickered. Roderich's mouth twitched a bit at that remark. "Well excuse me for trying interior design!" He snapped. "Now if you two will excuse me, I have an investigation to run. If you would be so kind-"

"Sir! Sir!" Desperate cries came from down the hallway. The three men turned around with a hum. A man came up to the door, painting. He gasped and gave a quick salute to his superiors, who gave a salute back. "Vhat is wrong boy?" Roderich asked. "T-The security room! The guards!" The guard stuttered, his hand shakily pointing down the hallway.

Ludwig's eyes widened and turned to Roderich and Gilbert. "You two, come with me now! Everyone else keep working!" He ordered as the three high ranked members ran down to the security room. "Don't tell me...!" Ludwig exclaimed. The three found the security room and entered. They all gasped, Roderich gagging and looking away.

Inside, two men on the ground, red liquid underneath their faces and heads. Both were not responding. "What the hell...!" Gilbert gasped. "Roderich! Get an investigation team here! Gilbert, call the Germanic Twelve and The Frosne Hjerter for an emergency meeting at 0600 hours! This is no longer a theft! It's an attack on the family!" Ludwig ordered. Roderich scrambled a bit before calling an investigation team, Gilbert getting out his phone while running off the premise.

Ludwig tsked at the scene. From all the years that he fought against the Latin family, they would never stoop this low.... "What the hell is going on....?!"

________________________________________________________________________________

Pronta= Ready

Che palle = What balls

Oh querido= Oh dear

Pezzo di-! = Piece of-!

Jawohl= Yes sir


	3. The Gotts Boten Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Strength and order is their guide. They will pull every tactic to win, even with a heavy cost.

The next morning, a man with a blue and white scarf and spiky hair walked through the grand hallways of the headquarters. He wore a light blue shirt with a black tie and a beige jacket. "Govert. Didn't think I'd see you here early." A posh voice called out to him. Govert stopped and looked to his right with a slight hum. "Arthur Kirkland. Thought you'd be here earlier." Govert said, folding his arms. "Ah I would be, but I was on vacation in London. Gilbert called me so suddenly about an emergency meeting and I took the first flight here. Just landed an hour ago." Arthur explained with a sigh. He adjusted his black hat decorated with a green band at its brim. He was dressed like Lovino, except he had a dark green jacket instead of a brownish red.

"Let's go." Arthur said, making his way to the Meeting Room, Govert walking next to him. "By the way, you better get rid of that pipe before we go in. Otherwise, Roderich would have a snap at you." The English man reminded the Dutch man. "...Hmph. Fine." Govert huffed and took the pipe out of his mouth and put it in his inside pocket of his jacket.

They finally reached two grand doors, and opened it without hesitation. Inside, fire crackled at the head of the room, bookshelves and paintings placed high within the room and a grand chandelier above. The room glowed only through the fire's light. There sat five people, all patiently waiting. All of them turned to the two people at the door, a red haired man smiling a devious smile at the Englishman. "Well well. You made it unfortunately..." He smirked. "I was hoping your plane would crash so ye wouldn't make it." He continued, intertwining his fingers for his chin to rest upon.

"Nice to see you too Allistor..." Arthur snarled, before noticing the two quiet blonds across from Allistor. "Well isn't this is a surprise." He started, walking to the young girl and man. "You two never show up for meetings and now you come? I'm surprised you're still part of the Gottes Boten." Arthur scoffed. "If you can't fight why are you here?" He integrated.

"Oi, leave them alone. This concerns everybody you know. Not just Vash and Erika." An Irish man sighed, leaning his face on his palm. "Besides. Everyone here was born into the family. They don't have a choice. This is the only world we know." The Welsh man added. Erika looked down with a nod. "What Dylan and Seamus say is true... We were all born into this family. We can't leave the family even if we wanted to. We would have nowhere to go..." She whispered.

Arthur stared at them, and put a hand on his hip. "Well at least I fight instead of lazing around doing nothing." He snarked, looking at Vash. "What was that?!" He growled standing up, clashing heads with the Brit. "That's rich, coming from the guy who betrayed the family twice." He sneered. "That was because I knew what we were doing was wrong! I did it to help my family see the light!" Arthur roared back. "Ah! P-Please don't fight!" Erika pleaded, getting up and put her hands on their chests to separate them.

"Alright you two, that's enough." Govert sighed, putting his hands on both their shoulders. Both of them growled, before sitting down abruptly, arms crossed, and legs folded, looking away from each other. "T-Thank you..." Erika thanked, bowing towards Govert, who only gave a nod and took his seat.

Almost instantly, the next two people walked through the door. Seamus looked to the side only with his eyes. "...Thought I smelled a rat..." He muttered, looking at the man who looked like him. "Funny. I was just about to say the same thing about you ya bastard..." The man growled. "Patrick. I was wondering when you were going to show." Arthur said with a sly smile. "Shut it bastard." Patrick snapped, taking a seat. Dylan and Allistor only laughed. "You five are really brothers aren't you?" The other man with glasses smiled, as he took a seat and opened his laptop. "Don't call me their brother Eduard..." Patrick said with extreme restraint.

"Come on Patrick! You know you love us~" Allistor teased. "Shut it! I left that cursed house long ago and you didn't come with me! As far as I'm concerned we're not brothers!" Patrick yelled at his brothers. "Come on Patrick, we hate Arthur as much as you do. But ya know we couldn't." Dylan reasoned. Patrick only tisked, folding his arms and leaning back on his chair as he avoided his brother's eyes. "Besides, if you really hate us, you wouldn't be here now would ye?" Allistor questioned, leaning forward on the table. Patrick growled, slamming his hands on the table and standing up sharply. "Why you...!"

"Wow, you're all one big happy family aren't you?" A sarcastic voice called through the door. Everyone looked at the door once more, five men at the door, all of them in fancy suits. "Really, how can we call ourselves a family if we don't act like it?" A man with a cross clipping in his hair sighed, adjusting his cuff. "Oh, if it isn't the family's dogs..." Allistor smirked.

"The Frosne Hjerter..."

One of the bigger men adjusted his glasses, giving Allistor a sharp glare. Everyone, but Vash, Govert, Patrick and Allistor, shivered at his gaze. "B-Berwald! What did we say about glaring?" The smaller man by his side whispered. "Huh? W's I gl'r'n? S'rry T'no..." The older man apologise. Tino only smiled. The Swed had asked him for help a few days ago to help him feel more approachable.

"Hey Allistor! I got some booze!" The other big guy yelled, swinging a bottle around. "Did ye now? Can't wait for the end then! Thanks Abel!" Allistor grinned. "Abel! This is a meeting, not a party!" The man with the cross hair clip scolded. "Don't worry Lukas, we're going to drink after!" Abel reassured. "Like that makes us feel better..." A boy with a puffin muttered sarcastically. "See! Even Emil agrees with me!" Abel smiled, giving a thumbs up to Emil. "I wasn't agreeing with you..." Emil clarified.

"Alright alright, are you all done yet?" A familiar voice asked, clapping everyone into order. When everyone looked back at the door, Ludwig, Gilbert, and Roderich were approaching the hall. Those that sat, stood up for their leader. When Ludwig found his seat, he sat down and everyone sat back down.

"Danke to you all for coming on such short notice..." Ludwig first noted. "This better be good. You know that we don't like getting in family affairs Ludwig." Vash gritted. "It is. Roderich if you please." Ludwig said, passing it to Roderich. Roderich and cleared his throat, standing up. He held up papers in front of him, flicking it so the paper could stand up straight.

"As you know, there was a break in at one of our warehouses." As he talked a bright blue hologram flicked above the table for all to see, displaying a layout of the warehouse. "Inside was the crown of many German rulers, very valuable to our family. Lovino Vargas, a member of the Ordo Equitum Solis, broke in and attempted to steal the crown." He continued, a photo of Lovino appearing on the hologram. "We thought he was only here for the crown. But later, we found that the guards in one of the security rooms were knocked out. We thought they were killed, but the red liquid was pasta sauce. Only the security camera that was stationed in the room where the crown was was working. The others were disconnected. Luckily we had a secret camera in the security room, however that was disconnected too. But the time it was disconnected was thirty seconds earlier than when Lovino got caught. And that is the same with all the other disconnected cameras." Lovino's footage of him getting caught began to play and repeat, everyone watching silently.

"We think that Lovino stealing the crown was only a distraction from their real goal." Roderich explained. "But the thing is, what would they want to steal?" He finished, taking his seat. "Well, those stupid frogs are very crafty. I hate to admit it, but they can be master strategists." Arthur said, Govert nodding in agreement.

"So what would they steal...?" Dylan muttered. "Hm... Eduard, can you check the records and all cameras that were still connected?" Ludwig asked. "Already on it." Eduard said, typing at lightspeed. "Maybe they just ran out of luck this time. Or for the black market." Abel suggested. "Yeah zat vhat I said!" Gilbert said. "Maybe you're just overreacting. And wasted our time." Vash growled, standing up to leave. "Let's go Erika." He said. "Y-Yes big brother..." Erika said shyly, following him.

Eduard gasped sharply, everyone in the room looking at him with fright. "Ludwig! They took a file!" Eduard exclaimed. "What?!" Everyone exclaimed. "Which one?" Lukas asked with a growl. "I'm finding out now." Eduard said, staring at the screen while typing. "A file about alchemy!" He exclaimed, reading the screen. "And there's more... Personal information about our members have been hacked as well!"

"What?!" Everyone yelled, the loudest being Arthur, Lukas, and Vash.

"OUR alchemy information?!" Arthur exclaimed, gesturing to him and Lukas. Eduard nodded. "Damn it! Those potions and inventions are extremely dangerous! That's why we sealed them in the first place!" Lukas gritted, banging a fist on the table. "Hey relax Lukas. Magic doesn't exist, they won't be able to do it." Abel tried to calm him down. "It's alchemy, and it is real you wanker! Those potions are dangerous! Shit this is bad!" Arthur swore. "Not to mention that they have Vladimir on their side! I bet it was him! He would want those files any day!" Lukas seathed.

"That's what you're worried about?! They have information on all of us including my sister! I swear if anything happens to her, I'll shoot you all!" Vash growled, pointing at them all. "Calm down Basch." Ludwig calmed him down using his real name, which made the Swiss sit down. "Ve will steal ze files back before zey have ze chance. Zey vould already know who ve are, but ze magic one is a problem. In ze meantime, be careful. All of you." Everyone nodded.

The room suddenly went cold, the fire and candles flickering in and out. The only electrical items in the room began to zap and flicker.

"Vat ze..." Gilbert muttered. "Did someone break into the base?" Allistor asked, the lights still flickering. "No, nothing I can see here..." Eduard muttered, skimming through the system of traps and cameras. "Probably just faulty wiring." The Dane smirked. But the Norwegian next to him hummed. Something just felt odd about it. But he couldn't put his finger on what, the Brit feeling the same way. The lights came back up again as if nothing were wrong. "Well that was weird..." The Finnish man muttered, the Swiss man nodding in agreement.

"In any case...ze meeting is over. All of you can retire for ze night." Ludwig decread, everyone standing as their leader left. When he left, everyone let out a heavy sigh. "Well this has been a disaster... I'll be in the kitchen making scones." Arthur groaned, rubbing his head as he left. Everyone groaned. "Why couldn't they take his recipe book instead?!" Patrick yelled. "Don't worry he won't find it. I hid all the recipes in the warehouse." Roderich informed, everyone sighing relief.

As everyone began to leave, a hand was placed on Eduard's shoulder, forcing him to stop and turn around. "Sorry Eduard, but is there any word about mijn zus and broer?" Govert asked. Eduard thought about it, then shook his head. "I've hacked into every security system from the area at the time, gone through every record of the event, and nothing..." Eduard reported, sadly pushing his glasses up. "There has to be something! I know they wouldn't just disappear on us like that!" Govert exclaimed.

"I'm sorry Govert. Maybe it's time to face the facts. Maybe they're..." Eduard stopped his sentence, looking down. "No, I know they're not. Keep on searching. Please..." Govert asked. Outside, he seemed calm and emotionless, but inside, Eduard could see he was worried sick. Eduard nodded.

"I'll try my best."

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________  
Mijn zus = Little sister  
Broer= Brother


	4. The Ordo Equitum Solis Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They will hypnotize you with their love and their charm, and when they strike they shall smile as you fade.

He ran away from the warehouse as fast as he could after his escaped. He had to get to the Volkspark Friedrichshain park, as it was almost midnight. He finally reached there, panting and doubling down.

"There you are idiota!"

The panting man looked up, and smiled, Lovino standing over him. "Fratello! I'm so glad you're okay! I'm sorry I pulled the alarm even though it was part of the plan!" He babbled, giving his brother a hug. Lovino winced as his brother hugged him. "Ve~ Lovi what's wrong? Did they hurt you?!" He panicked, using Lovino's nickname. "I had to put on a show so you could do your part! I jumped out of a window to escape you know!" Lovino yelled. "Eh?! A-Are you hurt fratello?!" Lovino's little brother gasped. "I'm fine Feliciano! You got what we were looking for right?" Feliciano nodded, holding up a black briefcase. "Good. Now let's go!" Lovino said, both of them leaving the park to their car.

The next few minutes were in silence, which was unusual for Feliciano, who was a blubbering idiot. "...Alright spill." Lovino said suddenly, facing his brother while they were walking around. "Ve? What do you mean fratello?" Feliciano asked, tilting his head. "You've been silent this whole time. Why?" Lovino asked.

Feliciano blinked, then broke down crying. "Veee~! It's horrible! I didn't want to worry you but... I lost my pasta sauce at the warehouse~! And I still feel so bad for Ludwig after what happened!" Feliciano cried. "That's what you're upset about?! We have plenty of pasta sauce back at the mansion! And why would you feel so bad for that stupid potato bastard?! He's our enemy! You're such a Goddamn idiota!" Lovino yelled. "But..." Feliciano sniffed. "You are so stupid you know tha- Che!" Lovino winced, holding his arm. "Ve?! Fratello?" Feliciano gasped, reaching for him. "Don't touch me! I'm fine!" Lovino snapped, slapping his hand away. "Let's go before we're discovered damn it!" He scolded, storming away. "Ve?! W-Wait for me fratello!" Feliciano called after him.

Lovino took the driver's seat and fastened his seatbelt, Feliciano wearily getting into the passengers. "Ve fratello..." Lovino sighed, gripping tightly on the wheel. "What?" He said bitterly. "M-Maybe I should drive...You nearly killed us getting here... And you're hurt too..." Feliciano whispered, slowly fastening his seatbelt. "You saying I can't drive?!" Lovino snapped. "N-No! Not at all! I'm sorry fratello don't hurt me please!" Feliciano begged. "Tsk. How did Nonno choose you out of everyone..." Lovino growled, starting the engine of the red Ferrari and zooming off after the tires squealed with smoke.

Feliciano held onto the car handle for dear life. "Fratello! Pedone pedone!" Feliciano shrieked, hitting Lovino's arm. Lovano swerved just in time, avoiding the man. "Lerne, arschloch zu fahren!" The man swore at them. "Guarda dove stai camminando pezzo di merda, fottuto stronzo!" Lovino yelled back leaning out of the car in his direction, flipping the bird.

"Fratello! Eyes on the road!" Feliciano shrieked, leaning over to stabilize the wheel. "Che!" Lovino tsked, grabbing onto the wheel before it plummeted off a small cliff and landed onto the open road below. Feliciano panted, before checking himself that he was alive. But they weren't out of the woods yet.

Literally.

Lovino managed to land themselves in a forest territory, branches scratching them and the sides of the car. Feliciano let out a scream as his expensive car was now damaged with dents and scratches. Lovino finally managed to get out of the clearing, only for them to head straight for a log cabin, lights in shining through the windows.

Lovino gasped sharply, as he turned the wheel to the left, narrowly avoiding the house and drove onto a nearby road, finally getting on the right track.

"See, was that so hard?" Lovino gritted as they drove down, Feliciano almost dead.

"So are we taking a shortcut through Switzerland?" Feliciano asked sometime later when he calmed down. "And risk getting caught by that gun wielding bastard? We're going through Austria. We know Roderich will stay behind since he fought with me, so it will be safer if we go through his territory." Lovino explained, turning off the main road. Feliciano's eyes widened at the name, and looked at his older brother. "M-Master Roderich...?" He breathed. Lovino gritted, violently turning another corner. "Stop calling him that! Don't you remember what he did to us?! He's a monster Feliciano! Remember that!" Lovino yelled, Feliciano looking down, feeling horrible that his brother had to go up against him.

As Lovino turned off the road, he felt a sharp pain in his arm, as if something was sticking in him. "Che!" He gritted. "Fratello?! What's wrong?!" Feliciano gasped with panic. "Nothing idiota!" Lovino snapped, his eyes still on the road. Feliciano looked at his arm, bits of red liquid dripping down.

"Lovino..."

Lovino's eyes widened. Whenever Feliciano used his name instead of "fratello", it meant he was serious. "Pull over. Right now." He commanded. "I said I'm-"

"Pull over right now! You are my brother and you aren't fit to drive! Please fratello!" Feliciano pleaded. Lovino stared at the road, before sighing and pulling over. Once the engine stopped, Feliciano immediately grabbed his arm and pushed up the sleeve. There was a huge shard of glass stuck in his arm, on the road to being infected. It was bleeding badly. "Get out." Feliciano ordered, taking off his own seatbelt. "What?" Lovino growled. "We're switching. You need to rest!" Feliciano explained in panic, walking over to the driver's side. "I said I-"

"Fratello, you went up against Master Roderich and you're injured! Knowing him, he wouldn't have held back much! Please fratello... let me drive..." Feliciano pleaded, tears forming in his eyes. And there it was. Lovino's weakness... Making his little brother cry. He sighed defeat and got out and made his way to the passenger's seat.

Feliciano turned on the engine and looked up, noticing something he had never seen in Italy before...

"Ve, fratello, what's that sign?" Feliciano asked, pointing to a road sign with a circle and three lines running diagonally across it. "How the hell should I know?!" Lovino snapped, applying pressure on his wound. "Ve I think Ludwig told me once before..." Feliciano muttered, thinking. "Ah! An Autobahn!" He exclaimed. "A what?" His brother spat, confused. "An Autobahn! No speed limit on this road!" Feliciano explained. Lovino's face paled. "Wait, Feliciano-"

"Perfecto! We can get to Roma fast this way!" Feliciano shifted the gears, and sped down the highway at supersonic speed, Lovino screaming his head off along the way.

The Italians reached Rome close to dawn. It was a bit quiet while driving the streets, only the roar of the engine echoing through. The two brothers sat in silence as Feliciano navigated his way to the Family headquarters. "...Is your arm better?" Feliciano asked. Lovino tsked, looking at the blood-soaked rag. "It's nothing... honest." He replied. "Ve~ Fratello you always act so tough..." Feliciano said with a slight smile, Lovino only smirking. "When we get back we should tell Antonio what ha-"

"That tomato bastard doesn't need to know. No one does." Lovino replied quickly. Feliciano shut his mouth, turning a corner. The rain began to drip from the sky as they pulled closer to their destination. "Ve... if you say so..." Feliciano whispered, pulling up to an iron gate, leading towards a renaissance like a mansion on top of the hill. The two on-duty saluted the twins as the iron doors opened. "Welcome home Padre Feliciano and Signore Lovino." They saluted as the car rolled through. "Ve, you don't have to call me padre! Signore is fine." Feliciano smiled, the guards nodding and closed the gates.

The car stopped at the grand entrance, two men holding opened umbrellas greeting them. "Signore Vargas. Welcome home sir." The man covering Feliciano bowed, Feliciano thanking him with a wave and a smile. "Welcome back Signore Vargas." The man tending to Lovino bowed, holding the umbrella over his head. Both headed inside, Lovino trying to hide his wound as best he could.

Inside, a grand marble floor greeted them, white stairs leading to the second floor. Multiple archways lead to different entertainment rooms, such as the lounge, bar, ballroom, library, and game room. A white crystal chandelier was suspended from the high ceiling, softly illuminating the lobby. The windows were dropped with deep red velvet curtains, and paintings hung from the walls. Very fitting for a Latin Mafia.

"Ve, Sebastian, when you take Lovino to his room, call the family doctor. He was injured on the mission. Oh and don't tell anyone!" Feliciano ordered, his maid taking his coat and hat. Sebastian, who took Lovino's hat and coat, bowed at the order, following Lovino to his room. "Also send that coat to the tailor. And send the bill to those German bastards." Feliciano could hear Lovino order.

"Can you put this in my room? Grazie bella!" Feliciano smiled, the second maid taking the case and bowing before heading to Feliciano's room, as the first maid went to the laundry to clean his coat and hat. He hummed as he headed to the kitchen. "I'll make fratello some tasty pasta to make him feel better." Lovino smiled, pulling out a pot and spaghetti.

He spent about fifteen minutes in the kitchen, finally serving the pasta on two plates and pouring the sauce on top. "Ve~ perfecto!" He smiled and clapped, his black gloves muffling the sound a bit. He called in a maid and asked her to put one in Lovino's room, and the other he said he'd take to his room himself. The maid nodded, taking the plate and leaving to Lovino's room.

Feliciano soon went upstairs to his room. He turned down a hallway, one side was speckless windows, the other side were the doors to the rooms of the most powerful members of the family. They would usually greet him and Lovino back from a mission, but as it was almost sunrise, everyone would still be sleeping.

Feliciano finally reached his room, opening the grand door. Inside was a small fireplace on the side in front of a velvet couch, bookshelves, and a working desk in the corner, the briefcase on his desk, untampered and next to his pen. His grand king size bed was spick and span, the detailed bedposts polished, and the canopy freshly dusted. Two window doors leading balcony were cleaned as well. He sat at the table at one of the windows slurping his pasta as he watched the sun rise behind the rain.

"Thought you would be back."

Feliciano turned around, a young girl standing in front of his closed door. She wore an emerald silk robe, her short dirty blond hair pulled back by a headband. He smiled back. "Ah Bella! Bongiorno!" He greeted. Bella giggled and smiled. "Goedemor- Er, bonjour." She greeted back, catching herself just in time with her old tongue. Feliciano placed the half empty plate on the table and stood up walking towards Bella. "Why are you up so early today? Thought you would be sleeping at this time." Feliciano smiled, putting his hands in his pockets. "And miss you two coming back? No way!" Bella retorted. Feliciano let out a "Ve~" And rubbed the back of his head.

"Speaking of which, did something happen to Lovino? I tried saying hello but Sebastian said he isn't seeing visitors..." Bella muttered, worry written on her face. "Oh! H-He's just tired is all..." Feliciano lied. Bella tilted her head, then looked down in a face of defeat. "Ah! Cheer up bella donna! We're going to have a family meeting tonight! You'll see him there." Feliciano said in a cheerful manner, lifting her chin.

"Okay... I better let you guys rest. I'll see you both later." Bella smiled, waving goodbye. "Tot zi- Au revoir." She said and out the door she went. "Yeah... ciao..." Feliciano muttered after she left. Bella leaned her back on the door, her hands still on the handles. She gave a long and deep sigh out. She knew something happened. Lovino was never the kind to rest after a mission. But she knew it wasn't big since Feliciano wasn't in that much distraught. But at least he would be okay. She made her way back to her room, making sure she wouldn't wake anyone up.

"Ow!" Lovino hissed, a middle aged man with brown hair and chin stubble dabbed his cuts with a bacterial killing liquid. He sighed, reaching for the bandages, wrapping it around his arm. "You really should be more careful on missions you know." He said with a slight scold. "Yeah yeah yeah I know Časlov..." Lovino gritted.

Časlov snipped the bandage and clipped it on, Lovino moving his arm a bit to make sure his arm felt fine. "You're lucky you escaped with just that. Could have been a lot worse..." Lovino scoffed, putting his feet up on the desk, grabbing the pasta bowl the maid brought in earlier that day. "We're mafia. What do you expect?" He shot back, taking a bite out of the food.

The doctor simply sighed as he stood up, packing away his tools. "You guys are just waiting for me to snap aren't you?" He joked looking at Lovino with a smirk, the mentioned man smiling back, tapping his nose, indicating correction. "Heh. Well take your arm easy and rest up alright? If you have any problems, just call me. Doviđenja."

"Ciao." Lovino saluted back. "Oh and Časlov?" Lovino called out, the doctor peeking his head around the door. "You better not tell tomato bastard about this, or anyone!" Lovino said with a slight aggravation. "Of course. Now rest." Časlov smiled, before closing the door.

Later that day, Bella was drawing at her desk. Just like she did every time at this hour. She dipped the tip of her fountain pen into the inkwell and sighed, looking at her work.

Knock knock

Bella gasped and quickly shoved her work into a drawer. "J-Just a second!" She yelled, locking it. She tidied her hair and patted down her short black dress. "Yes?" She called. The door opened, Bella's eyes widened a bit. A young man stepped through, his hair the same colour as hers, eyes a light blue. He wore a white and light blue striped jacket over his white shirt and blue tie. "V-Victor..." She muttered. "Hey sis..." Victor smiled, entering, and closing the door behind him.

"What's up?" She asked, putting her robe on from earlier, tying the sash tightly around her waist before pouring herself and her brother a cup of hot chocolate at her little table near the window. "I uh..." Victor stuttered, rubbing the back of his head. "Just wanted to give you a heads up. Francis just came back from Paris and he's on a... Romantic high." Victor warned. "Isn't he always?" Bella snarked, walking up to her brother and folded her arms playfully.

"Heh. Also..." Victor dug into his back pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "I found this." He handed over the paper to Bella, who took the paper carefully and unfolded it. She couldn't believe it. "W-Where did you find this...?" She gasped. "I found it under my closet... It must've slipped under there when we first moved here..." Victor smiled, looking back at the memories.

Bella stared at the photo, which consisted of Bella and Victor with their older brother whom they had not contacted for in years. "I wonder how he's doing..." Victor wondered. "Do you think he thinks about us?" He asked his sister. "...After what we did? I doubt it." She said, handing back the photo back to Victor. She sighed, taking a seat at the table, crossing her legs and taking a sip of her hot chocolate. "But he's our brother. I mean... I'm sure he misses us." He said, taking a seat across Bella and took a sip. She put down her cup and sighed. "I'm sure he doesn't." She said bitterly. "But Bella-"

"Victor..." She said sternly, looking out the window. Victor instantly shut up, not wanting to cross that line. "We betrayed the family. We betrayed our brother. He'd never forgive us for what we did..." She gritted a bit as she spoke, looking down into her cup. "Why would he miss us when we ruined everything...?" She asked him, staring at the beverage. "We are enemies now... We can't change that..." She whispered, tucking her legs in a bit.

Victor stared at his sister, then down at his cup. "...I know... I thought that you'd miss him..." Victor muttered, taking a sip of the drink. Bella scoffed, shaking her head. "Of course I miss him... But we can't go back... we made our choice and he made his."

The two siblings sat in silence for a bit, before Victor decided to leave Bella alone to collect her thoughts. "I'll see you at the meeting sister." Victor muttered before leaving. She sat there for a couple of hours, watching the sunset and sipping her sweet hot drink.

Knock knock

"Yes?" Bella asked, not turning her head from the window. The door opened, a maid stepping through. "Miss Jansen, Signore Vargas has called for a family meeting." She informed, giving her a bow. Bella nodded, standing up and taking off her robe revealing her black dress tied to her neck, exposing her back.

She made her way down to the meeting room, her high heels clicking through the hallway. She found her way to the meeting room and opened the doors. Everyone, except Lovino and Feliciano were there. "Oh bonjour mon cheri!" A man with short blond hair purred, standing up and pulling her in, an arm around her waist, face close to hers. His hair was pulled into a low ponytail, his bangs perfectly framing his face. His white hat made him look charming along with the white jacket and pants, purple shirt and black tie. Clearly an eye for style. "Ah... Romantic high..." Bella sweatdropped. "Ohonhonhon... You look so beautiful tonight Miss Jansen... How about you come to my room tonight for a private show..." He said extremely seductively.

"Francis get off her, that's my sister!" Victor hissed, stepping between them and grabbing his wrist. "Ohonhonhonhon I don't mind if you replace 'er tonight dear Victor." Francis chuckled. "Ah dios mios, Francis give it a rest already." A Spanish man in a black hat and coat draped over his shoulders sighed, leaning forward. "You know it's not gonna work." He chuckled, placing a hand on his cheek. "You have no faith in L'amore Antonio." Francis sighed, shaking his head. "Oh please, that's not love, that's desperation." Another man, who was dressed like Antonio only with slightly longer hair in a low ponytail, scoffed. "Wow, Antonio and João agreeing on something. That's rare." A young man with sharp teeth and red coat and eyes laughed.

"Shut it Vlad!" The Latin brothers exclaimed, Vladimir chuckling and lead back putting his hands behind his head.

A young girl with red glasses sighed, sorting her papers. "Everyone, the meeting will start soon. I think we should take a seat." She scolded lightly. "Monica don't be like that! We have a bit of time before Feli and Lovi get here. We should have some fun before they do." Francis smirked, walking over to her and patted her head. Monica's body stiffened, and her face went red. "Francis, stop it! Don't touch my head!" She yelled in embarrassment, smacking his hand away. "Oh come now mon enfant, you know you like it." He purred, hugging her shoulder and caressing her hair with his cheek, and his free hand stroking her head.

"Don't touch me!" She yelled, punching him in the face. Francis fell back, his chin swelling fast and flashing red. "Ooo that'll hurt in the morning..." Antonio muttered, leaning over the table to look at him without changing his position. "It's fine, he can sleep it off. If not, Časlov can fix him up." She huffed, the petite woman sitting down and straightening her papers.

"Ciao everyone!" A cheery voice came in. Everyone looked at the entrance and smiled at Feliciano skipping through the door with his brother walking in behind him. Behind them were two maids, one of them carrying the black briefcase from earlier. "Feliciano!" Everyone cheered, giving him a hug. "Thank goodness you're alright." They cooed. "Ve~" He smiled.

Lovino looked at the scene, even his best friend, if he could call Antonio that, was coddling up to his brother. He gave a grunt, pulling on his long sleeves to make sure no one would notice the bandage on his arm, walking casually to his chair. "Lovi~!" He heard a cheesy voice before he felt the beginning of a tight hug. "Get off me tomato bastard!" Lovino yelled, pushing Antonio's face away before he had the chance. "But Lovi you made it back without a single scratch on your adorable face~" He sang, attempting to hug him again. "Stay away from me or I swear to God I will castrate you!" He threatened, pushing him away with his hands and feet. "Aw Lovi why do you do this, let me hug you..." The Spaniard whined, trying to reach for Lovino.

"Damn it Feliciano start the meeting!" Lovino screamed, trying to avoid the persuasive Spaniard. "Ve? Oh si si si!" Feliciano panicked, everyone heading back to their seats. Antonio gave a pout as he moved back, his brother laughing in his face. As Bella made her way to her seat, she leaned into Lovino's ear. "Glad you're okay." She whispered, before moving down. Lovino's body tensed up a bit, then watched her sit down a few seats down.

"Ve~ So... Uh..." Feliciano stuttered. "T-today fratello and I uh..." Feliciano stuttered, fiddling with his clothing. Lovino sighed, and stood up. He put his good hand on his brother's shoulder. "Ve? Fratello?" Feliciano looked up at his brother, confused. "I'll take it over. But prepare for next time got it idiota?" He scolded, Feliciano nodding. Lovino snapped his fingers, the maid stepping forward with the briefcase lying horizontally in her hands. Lovino clicked the briefcase open and looked inside.

He suddenly stopped, staring inside the briefcase. "Feliciano..." He began. "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS DOING IN HERE?!" Lovino yelled, holding a book up.

British Cooking: 500 Recipes for Authentic British Cuisine

Everyone gasped and screamed at the horrible item. "I saw it, and you know how much of a biohazard it can be! I only wanted to spare others from its cruel wrath!" Feliciano panicked. Everyone stayed silent, beginning to relax. "...You did the right thing then Feliciano. Burn it." Lovino ordered, handing to the maid. "Wait, can I have it?"

Everyone looked wide-eyed at Francis. "Why the bloody hell do you want THAT?!" Lovino yelled, pointing at the cookbook. "British food is a terrible cuisine to cook, could make one sick to the stomach. So, I can use it for poison attacks." Francis winked, the maid handing him the book. Not before Francis placed white gloves on his hands before touching the book. He shuddered, blessing the book, and placed it in a plastic bag.

"Fine, just don't mix it up with our food." Lovino sneered. "Oh don't worry I'll be as far away from our kitchen when making these..." Francis shuddered. Lovino sighed, picking up what he was really after. He picked up a USB, inserting it in the side of the table. He stepped back as a hologram flickered from the centre of the table. The hologram finally turned on fully, raising from the table a bit. The hologram spun a bit, text flickering above some rooms.

"This is the Gottes's new base. Guards placed here... here... And here..." He spun the hologram around, pointing to some rooms and halls. "But most of the guards are placed... Here." Lovino spun the hologram around, and isolated a room. "We believe they're hiding something in that room." Lovino explained. "That is why our next mission, we're going to sneak in and find out what it is." Feliciano jumped in. "I've decided to send Bella and Victor to this mission." He continued.

"Eh? Why us?" Bella asked, shocked he chose her and her brother. "You and Victor can speak and read the Germanic languages better than any of us here. You are more than fit to do this mission." Feliciano explained. Victor and Bella looked at each other, uncertain. "I know you have hard memories back there... But this is for the family." Lovino said, folding his arms. Victor nodded at Bella, who nodded back. "We'll do it. For our family..." Bella said, determined. Everyone nodded, Lovino pulling out the USB and the hologram fading away.

Before Feliciano could call off the meeting, the lights flickered slightly before causing a quick black out with a zap. "Ve?! Are we under attack?!" Feliciano panicked, looking around as the lights slowly glowed back to its original light. "If we were they'd cut the wires immediately idiota." Lovino scolded, whacking the back of his brother's head.

Vlad stared at the lights, having an odd feeling that it wasn't just faulty wiring...

"Ve~ Pasta time!" Feliciano squealed, leaping from his seat and ran to the kitchen. Everyone snapped out of the thought and chuckled, filling out. "Ah Feliciano!" Feliciano hummed with a smile, looking at the Romanian approaching him with a smile. "Unfortunately I can't stay. I have to go back to Romania to check on my frate mai mic. Poor boy has been home alone all week." Vladimir sighed, rubbing his head. "Ve~ I understand. I will call you if there is anything wrong!" Feli smiled. Vlad nodded, then turned his head to Antonio and João. "Good luck for tomorrow's performance!" Antonio and João smiled and pat him on the back. "Gracias Vlad. Shame you can't watch..." Antonio sighed. "It's okay, I can watch the recording." Vlad assured. "Well, have a good trip back." João smiled. Vlad smiled back, tipping his hat, and left the mansion.

Bella and Victor stayed behind with Lovino. "Here are the files. The mission starts in two days. Good luck." He said, tipping his hat and left.

The two siblings stayed there for a while, Bella staring at the folder. "...You sure you want to do this?" Victor asked, checking if his sister was okay. "...No... of course I don't want to do this!" She cried, slapping the folder on the table and sat down, face buried in her hand. "Then why did you agree to it?" Victor asked, sitting next to her. "You could have said no." He continued. "Do you remember why we left?" Bella muttered, looking at her brother. "They always fought. There were betrayals, backstabs, constant war within the family. If we stayed there, who knows when it would turn to chaos. It already happened twice. I can't go through with that again Victor. I just can't! That's why I said yes!" She exclaimed.

Victor sat there silently, his sister on the verge of a breakdown. He regretted showing her the photo now. "Don't worry. We're not there anymore. And we'll all be together again. I promise." Victor soothed. Bella nodded, hugging her brother. "Come on. Let's go get some hot chocolate before planning." Victor suggested, grabbing Bella by the hand and heading to the kitchen to join the others.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Fratello! Pedone pedone! = Big brother, pedestrian, pedestrian!

Lerne, arschloch zu fahren! = Learn how to drive asshole!

Guarda dove stai camminando pezzo di merda, fottuto stronzo! = Look where you're walking piece of shit, fucking asshole!

Doviđenja = Goodbye

Bonjour mon cheri! = Hello my child


	5. The Sovetskiy Soyuz Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cold and detached, hiding within the snow. They are the assassins of the winter, hiding in front of your eyes

Vladimir walked up to his secluded castle where he lived with his little brother. It was the best castle in the area with a lovely view of his country away from any towns and cities. Though sometimes people who are lost wander up to his castle mistake him for a vampire, earning him the urban legend of "The Red Fang" around the country. Although Vlad had to admit, he liked that name. But it wouldn't stop from annoying kids daring each other to break into his castle scaring his little brother just for a stupid test of courage.

Vlad opened the rusty gates that lead to his courtyard and turned around to close it. But as he did, he felt like... Something wasn't right... He slowly turned around, walking towards the door, his face written in concern. "Aurel...?" He called out, his walk turning into a run. "Aurel?!" Vlad called out again, pushing the door open. His heart stiffened when he released the door had been broken into. "Aurel!" Vlad yelled, running through the main foyer and up the stairs. "Aurel answer me!" Vlad shouted. No response.

He reached to his brother's room and burst the door open. What he saw froze him on the spot. His brother's room was trashed. Papers on the floor, draws, cupboards, and tables toppled over or broken. His bed sheets were torn off the bed, windows smashed, and curtains ripped.

Vlad had to stay there, eyeing the scene. He then ran away from the bedroom, calling for his little brother. Maybe he managed to get away and was hiding in the castle somewhere. "Aurel! Aurel! Where are you?!" He called, his eyes beginning to tear up out of fear.

After checking every room in the castle, he gritted his teeth and punched the nearest wall. When did it happen? When did they take him?! He swore to himself he would protect his little brother! "LA NAIBA! ACEST ORIBIL ORIBIL!" He cursed. He ran up to his phone and furiously dialed a number on his red phone in the hallway.

"Ve~ You have reached the residence of Feliciano Vargas! Unfortunately, I am out at the moment, taking a siesta, or making pasta! Please try again later, or leave a message at the loud and scary beep! Grazie~!"

"DAMN IT!" Vlad swore, sinking to his knees. "Why...? WHY NOW?!" He howled.

* * *

 

Heavy snow rained over Russia. Ivan stood at the window watching the frozen rain rage outside. He smiled, beginning to sing himself.

Bayou-bayoushkji-bayou,

Seedjit kotjik na kriyou,

On nje bedjin nje bahat,

Oo njevo yestj m'noho rebjat

Vcje pah lallichkum seedjatj

Kashou smasljetsum yedjatj.

Bayou-bayoushkji-bayou.

"You always loved that song didn't you little brother." Ivan turned around, smiling at his big sister. "Of course. You and mama always sang this song to help me and Nataliya sleep big sister Yekaterina." He smiled. Yekaterina giggled, and held up a clip board. "Speaking of which, Nataliya, Toris, and Boris have returned from their mission from the United States." Yekaterina read. "Ah, excellent. And what of Elizabeta, Matúš, and Raivis?" Ivan asked, turning towards his older sister. "They arrived back from Germany this morning." Yekaterina said, with confidence. "Ah, otlichno! And our little guest?" Ivan asked with that creepy smile. "Feliks and Alžběta are with him now. But he is being very resistantive at the moment." His older sister reported.

"Ah is he now? Well then, maybe I should go up there and tell him to behave." Ivan smiled. His older sister tensed, but he was the leader of the mafia. She stepped to the side stiffly, and bowed her head. "Y-Yes of course little brother..." She muttered, Ivan walking past her, his white scarf floating past her worried face.

"This brat is like, sooooo annoying! Just put on the shirt!" A man with short blond hair ordered, holding a red kosovorotka shirt up to a wailing little boy. "I don't want a shirt! I want my frate mai mare!" He cried. "Listen, if you don't stop crying Ivan will like, kill us all!" Feliks tried to reason. "Now like, put on the shirt!" He gritted, trying to remove the boy's shirt. "No!" He wailed.

"Feliks stop it! You're scaring Aurel!" A young girl with short brown hair scolded, kneeling down to the boy's level. She tried to hug him, but Aurel only pushed her away. "Don't touch me! You took me away from frate mai mare!" He screamed. "Look we like, didn't have a choice. Orders are orders." Feliks sighed, rubbing his temples. "If you don't take me back right now, I'm gonna scream until my brother comes!" Aurel screamed, and began to wail and cry, waving his arms.

"Oh crap! Ivan's like, so gonna kill us! Alžběta like, do something!" Feliks panicked. "Aurel, please stop crying! Otherwise Master Ivan will-"

BANG!

Feliks and Alžběta gasped, looking at the door. There stood the Russian man, a childish yet sinister smile on his face. "I-Ivan!" Alžběta stuttered, she and Feliks standing up straight in their superior's presence. Ivan looked at the child. Who had stopped wailing but the tears would not stop flowing down his face.

"...I ask you to change his clothing. Why has this not happened?" Ivan asked, looking at Feliks and Alžběta. Both froze then looked down. "W-We're sorry sir, we were just trying to-" Ivan slapped Alžběta hard across the face with the back of his hand, causing her to scream and fall to the ground. "Alžběta!" Feliks gasped, reaching down to help her up, only for Ivan to slap him in the face pushing him back as well. "I ask for one simple job and yet you cannot complete it. You bring disgrace..." He said, shaking his head. Both of them laid on the ground, holding their cheeks looking at the ground in fear.

Ivan then turned his attention towards the little boy who was standing there. He watched with wide eyes, Ivan slowly approaching him. "Do not mind them malen'kiy." Ivan smiled as he kneeled, patting him on the head. "They were only punished because they did not complete task." Ivan smiled, stroking the scared boy's head. "Now I expect you to be good little boy while here da?" Ivan asked with his sick smile. Aurel stood frozen, his mouth refusing to move. He began to whimper a bit, his body shaking. "Good! Now be good boy and get changed." Ivan commanded and stood up to leave, Alžběta and Feliks rushing over to help Aurel get changed.

"M-My brother..."

Ivan turned around, the little boy shaking but had the face of determination. "My brother will come for me. A-And when he does, he'll-"

"He'll what? Rescue you?" Ivan asked in that innocent tone. Aurel didn't shake or nod his head, but held his tongue out of fear. The Russian man sighed, and took the boy to the window. "Tell me boy. What do you see?" Ivan asked, pointing out the large window. Aurel didn't answer at first, scared of his answer. "It is okay, you can say." Ivan told him with reassurance. "N-Nothing. T-The blizzard i-is bl-blocking everything..." Aurel answered with fear and stiffness in his voice. "Exactly. Because of this blizzard, no one knows where we are based. Russia is a big country after all moy malen'kiy drug. Only members of The Sovetskiy Soyuz Family know where we lie. After all, we are called The Ghost Mafia for a reason..." Ivan whispered cruelly. "And General Winter has been mad for weeks. This storm could kill an unprepared soul in a day..." Ivan sighed, shaking his head.

Aurel could feel his chances of being rescued slipping away with every word Ivan slithered. "But here, you will be safe and warm." Ivan smiled and turned around to leave once more. Aurel gulped, a last attempt to show his undying bravery towards the cruel man. "T-Then I'll-"

"Escape? Be my guest. However, once you do..." Ivan turned around, and gave the young boy a look he'll never forget. A look of sadistic pleasure underneath his threatening gleam. "I will order Nataliya to find your brother and kill him without a second thought. Even though I do not wish to fill her... Desires, she is very loyal to me and will carry out any mission unless I tell her to stop. And you too will die from the cold." Ivan warned him.

The room lights began to flicker before stabilizing. It gave everyone a bit of the shock. "Must be the storm. After you are done here, check the generators." Ivan commanded, you then left without another word.

Aurel stayed there, his mind and body in too much shock to do anything. Alžběta put a hand on his shoulder, Aurel snapping his head at her. "Come. Time to dress." She whispered, holding up black pants and shoes for him. This time, Aurel didn't fight it.

After a few minutes, Alžběta and Feliks were almost done. Alžběta tightened a sash at Aurel's waist, when she heard him sniffing. "Why..." Aurel asked, putting his head down. "Why do you work for a man like him? Let him treat you like that...?" He whispered. "He's your boss right? He should treat you better..." He said through sniffles. Alžběta looked at Feliks, who just shook his head. Alžběta sighed, giving a final tug on the sash.

"Come. We must go see Ivan for your inauguration." Alžběta sighed, taking the boy by the hand."W-Wait, my what?!" Aurel gasped in horror, looking at her. "I-I don't want to be part of this family! I told my frate I'd be with him!" Aurel cried, trying to tug out of her hand. "Do you like, wanna die?" Feliks asked him, making Aurel stop squirming instantly. "If you want like, any chance of getting out, the chances will be like, higher if you stay with us." He reasoned with the young boy.

Aurel looked down in thought. The girly man was right. Staying here was the best option if he wanted to survive. At least here he'll have shelter, food, clothing, and a bed. Basic needs until he would figure out a way to get back home. He closed his eyes tightly, a single tear falling from his eye. "Frate... please forgive me...!" He cried softly, before leaving to his new life.

"Ah welcome little one!" The Russian smiled rising from his elaborate chair as the little boy entered the hall. He looked around, it was all grey and cold, decorated with tacky black and white tiles, and an extravagant red carpet towards Ivan. On the left stood a girl in a purple dress and apron and long silver hair, Alžběta, a boy with short brown hair in a green suit, and a small boy, looking down and trembling. On the right side was Feliks, a man with clean short black hair in a black uniform, a strawberry blond haired man dressed like Alžběta, and a girl with long brown hair in a pony tail wearing a business suit. And up in front was of course Ivan and a short blond haired woman wearing a suit, and holding a clipboard.

"Before you're inauguration, let's introduce you to the family first." Ivan smiled, clicking his fingers. One by one the members stepped forward and introduced themselves to the child.

"I am Yekaterina Smirnov. Assistant and Ivan's older sister. Welcome to the family." The lady with the clipboard smiled.

"Natalya Arlovskaya, head assassin. Ivan's little sister and soon to be wife! So don't get in the way..." The silver hair girl threatened, scaring Aurel. "S-Sister, I told you that-" Ivan began, before Natalya looked at her brother with the craziest yandere eyes. "Do not say that brother! We will be married one day! Mark my words, we will!" She hissed, Ivan turning blue.

"Uh...Toris Laurinaitis, the inventor. If you need any help don't hesitate to ask..." The brown haired boy smiled.

"R-Raivis Galante... I-I do the cooking and supplies..." The small boy stuttered, fidgeting.

"My name is like, Feliks Łukasiewicz. If you need like, any tips on fashion or armor I'm the person to come to!" Feliks smiled.

"Alžběta Zahradnik. I handle paperwork and deals with the government and other mafia. Sometimes I help out with little errands if no one else is available." She said with a straight face.

"Boris Bookamooka. I am the strategy advisor." The black haired man nodded.

"Matúš Kováč. One of the spies." The strawberry blond muttered.

"Elizabeta Héderváry. I mostly, protect the base but I also handle spying." Elizabeta smiled forcefully. Aurel looked her, feeling like there was something... Familiar about her...

"Now you know whole family da? Now, let us begin." Ivan snapped his fingers, and the doors closed.

Aurel looked down in his bed, his hands grasping the sheets. He looked up and around the room. It was decorated in a rich red, a table in the corner, and a desk across from his king-sized bed. The windows were overlooking the savage snowstorm outside, and the fire roaring on the side across a couch. A knock on the door softly echoed into his ears, Aurel turning to the door. "Can I come in?" A sweet voice called from the other side. "Y-Yeah..." Aurel muttered, looking back down onto his bed. The door opened, revealing to be Elizabeta.

"Y-You're..." Aurel muttered, watching her move to his side. "You should be sleeping. You've had quite the day..." She smiled, tucking the young boy in. Aurel watched her smiling face as she moved the blankets over him to make him more comfortable. "There we are. Tomorrow I'll show you around the house, the rules, and your duties here. Usually, that would be Yekaterina's job, but Ivan assigned her to accompany Alžběta to a meeting with the local Slavic mafias." Elizabeta explained kindly, giving Aurel a sweet smile.

Aurel stared at her, wondering where he thought he heard her name, or at least why she seemed familiar. "Hm? Is something wrong Aurel?" Elizabeta asked. "... Have we met before?" Aurel asked. Elizabeta tensed as she looked at Aurel, who looked back at her with confused eyes. She cleared her throat as she tucked him in one more time and stood up. "No, this is the first time that we've met." She said with a straight face.

"Now get your rest. I'll get you in the morning." She smiled as she began to leave. "Elizabeta?" Elizabeta turned around with a hum. "Why do you stay with the family?" Aurel asked. "W-What do you mean?" Elizabeta asked, turning around fully. "Ivan seems like a scary boss... and my older brother told me that after that intense Arms War between your family and Arthur's brothers, you could have left... but you chose to stay... Why?" Aurel asked.

Elizabeta looked at him, then down to the floor. "It's... Complicated..." She said. "But to put it simply, there are two main reasons. The first is that this is the only family and place we can go to. Everywhere else, someone has family ties. For all of us here, this family is the only tie we have... all of us were raised since we were children. It's the only world we know. The second is that if we leave, there's a chance that Ivan will take our territories and will make things worse for our people. So most of us stay for our people..." Elizabeta explained.

"B-But big brother told me that Gilbert was-"

"Gilbert was a special case. After the Second Mafia War, the Allies decided to separate the Gotts Boten Family as punishment until they see fit. Of course, Arthur was against it as it was his family, and so was Francis. It led to bickering among the five, so in order to maintain peace, Gilbert volunteered to go with Ivan. Not only for that but also because the family still needed its leader. And as the older brother, Gilbert had to protect his little brother. The brothers were forbidden any communication, but they knew that very well. Gilbert left a couple of years ago when he and his territory wanted to go back to the Gottes Boten." Elizabeta explained, walking over to the fire and pouring water to put the fire out.

Aurel sat there, listening to the story. He gave Elizabeta a sad look, which made Elizabeta's heart pain a bit. "Other than that, every member, past and present, has Slavic blood in their veins." She said. Aurel looked at her, a question burning in his eyes. "T-The reason I'm here... is it because I have Slavic blood in my veins?" He finally asked.

Elizabeta tensed up once more and swiftly turned towards the door. "I'm sorry, that's something only Ivan knows." She said, walking towards the door. "Now go to sleep." She smiled, closing the door softly behind her.

As she walked back to her room, she couldn't stop thinking about Aurel. "T-The reason I'm here... is it because I have Slavic blood in my veins?" She sighed, finding her room, putting her hand on the door handle.

"Why did you lie?"

Elizabeta froze, noticing the voice from next door. She turned her head, addressing Alžběta. "What do you mean?" She asked. "You were with the Araps at one stage. That's a family tie right there." Alžběta said, leaning on the door frame, her arms folded. "That's because I was held prisoner. Besides, I had to stay. For him." She explained as she opened the door.

"You know the longer you keep it from him, the harder it will hurt." Alžběta told her as Elizabeta entered her room. Elizabeta stopped, thinking for a bit. "He said it wouldn't happen, but if it ever did, he asked me to never tell Aurel the truth... Or at least to wait until it was the right time." She turned her head, looking at Alžběta. "And I promised that if Aurel was taken here, that I'd protect him. Even if it hurt me." She said with a firm tone, and closed the door behind her.

Alžběta scoffed, and gave a sigh as she stood up straight. "If you say so..." She muttered to herself, and closed the door behind her.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

La naiba! Acest oribil oribil! = Damn it! That Russian bastard!

Otlichno (Отлично) = Excellent

Frate mai mare = My older brother

Malen'kiy (Маленький) = Little one

Moy malen'kiy drug (Мой маленький друг) = My little friend


	6. The Arap Şövalyeleri Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They need not hide to succeed. They will fight for their Ancestors' legacies

Gupta stared quietly at his hands. He had received a mysterious letter but was unsure whether to open it or not. The quiet boy gave a small huff, his eyes still glued to the letter. "Gupta! There you are! I need to ask you something!" A young man exclaimed, bursting into the Babylon themed garden. Gupta looked up, a small huff of confusion escaping through his mouth. For a man who showed little emotion, he was a bit surprised that Xander showed up so suddenly. But he didn't show it of course. "G-Gupta, you won't believe-" He suddenly stopped himself, staring at the envelope in Gupta's hands. "S-So you got one too..." Xander panted, pointing at Egyption's letter.

Gupta looked down at the letter, then back up at Xander and gave a small nod. Xander sighed and rubbed his head. He pulled out a letter, same colour and seal as his. "Man I thought I was the only one..." He said with a slight smile. "I wonder if that means the others got them too." Xander wondered out loud as he joined Gupta on the balcony. Gupta shrugged and looked back at the letter. "Did you read it yet?" Xander asked, looking at Gupta who shook his head. Xander sighed again, looking at the streets of Turkey. "I haven't either... I'm too scared to read it. I mean, if it's from him then I don't know..." Xander rambled, Gupta either listening silently or tuning it out. It was really hard to tell with him.

"Bayim Xander! Sayidi almuhtarm Gupta! The Patron has asked for your assistance!" A man saluted to his superiors. "With what?" Xander asked with curiosity. "Kýrie Heracles is-"

Suddenly a muffled yell from the solitude mansion erupted from within, followed by a thud. Xander looked at his watch and gave an interested nod. "Two minutes later than usual. New record." He said with a big of a chuckle. "Alright, we'll be there. In the meantime, continue your route." Xander ordered the man as he walked past him, Gupta silently following behind, both of them stuffing their letters into their pockets.

"I've tried everything! Pouring water, hitting him on the head, slapping him, dragging him out of bed! Nothing!" Sadik growled, gesturing to the sleeping Greek who had red marks on his cheek and lump of his skull, two of his guards poking him trying to wake him up. "Wow, he must be in deep sleep this time. Heracles usually would wake up with the dragging out of bed!" Xander exclaimed.

"So what can we do to wake him up?! He's got that meeting in Japan!" Sadik yelled. Xander hummed and crouched near the sleeping man. The guards backed off and stood straight in presence of their superior. "Heracles get up! You need to get to Japan! You know, the place with the sushi, the pocky, the Dragon Ball Z and the nani?" Xander smiled, poking Heracles in the face. But Heracles still kept snoring, a bubble coming out of his nose as he snored lightly.

"Heracles come on, you might run into Kiku again! And it's rude to keep a lady waiting!" Xander tried again, still poking his cheek. Still nothing. "Geez, what could he be dreaming about..." Xander muttered, standing up and rubbing the back of his head.

Heracles grumbled right on cue. He gave a tired smile as the corner of his mouth drooled. "Kitty..." He mumbled with a smile. "Seriously?! The cat dream again?! I will seriously kill him!" Sadik yelled in a fit, Xander holding his shoulders back as the Turk yelled and waved his arms and legs in a rage. "Patron Sadik calm down!" Xander pleaded, trying to hold him back.

"When Jerkules stops having the cat dream I will!" Sadik yelled. Gupta ignored the two and walked towards the sleeping Greek. The other two stopped struggling, noticing Gupta stepping forward. "Gupta...?" Sadik muttered. Gupta kneeled, and put his hand to the Greek's ear as he apparently whispered something into his ear.

The Greek suddenly woke up with the snap of his eyes. He stood up and ran straight out of the door. The next minute, they could hear their family jet roaring as if it had just taken off. Sadik and Xander ran outside Gupta walking after them, all three noticing the jet zooming off to the direction of the country of the Rising Sun. "That was fast!" Sadik gawked. "What did you tell him Gupta?" Xander asked. Gupta pulled out a piece of paper and began to write something down. He turned the paper around, Sadik and Xander reading it.

I told him Kiku got a new cat.

Sadik and Xander began to laugh, and turned back to the direction the plane flew in. "He is gonna be so mad when he returns." Sadik laughed. A cold wind suddenly nipped at the three men. Sadik shivered slightly feeling a little dark. "Brr! That was cold!" Xander gittered. Gupta clenched at his heart, something not feeling right. He looked at his watch, the screen flickering and glitching a bit. When the wind passed, the hot Turkish sun beamed down again and Gupta's watch went back to normal. Gupta blinked, an odd feeling in his chest.

"Let's go back inside, before another cold wind hits! I'll make some kisir!" Sadik beamed, whacking Gupta on the back and went inside. "Aww man! Can we have the chefs make Gozleme instead? I feel like lamb and cheese..." Xander whined, following behind. Gupta watched them laugh and talk a bit, before disappearing inside. He gave a slight hum, then pulled out his phone. He stared at it hesitantly, not sure if he should call or not. He gave a sigh and closed the phone, stuffing it back in his pocket as he went back inside.

Meanwhile from the air, Heracles looked out the window, noticing something that looked like a pulse... but he shrugged it off and went to sleep. ________________________________________________________________________________________

Bayim Xander = Sir Xander

Sayidi Gupta (سيدي جوبتا)= Sir Gupta

Patron = Father

Kýrie = Sir


	7. The Lóng Shé Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They say when they attack, all you can see is red

In the Inner East of Beijing, stands a mansion on a hill decorated with Shrine and Chinese temple architecture... Inside, lays one of the most powerful mafia families in the city.

He breathed in, the opium pipe glowing a soft red as he did. He breathed out, smoke emerging from his mouth, diving the room into a thicker smog. The green carpet was stained with black tar, and the red walls decorated with flowers were almost faded from years of neglect. The only thing clean were his traditional Royal Chinese Garments.

"Aiya... so boring..." He complained, toying with the pipe in his left hand. He leaned his right elbow on the arm rest, supporting his face on his fist. His eyes gave a bored stare to the side. "Maybe I should start a mafia war or something aru..." He mumbled, tapping his pipe.

"Yao. It is time for your tea." A voice came from beyond the sliding door. "Ah is it? Enter, aru." Yao sighed. The door slid open, and a young man with short brown hair, wearing a burgundy duanguaand baggy black pants entered the room. He carried a tray with a wooden steamer and teapot with a cup beside it. It also contained the latest newspaper for Yao to read. He walked to the table in the center in the room and kneeled down, setting down the tea cup and wooden steamer. He then stood up and walked to the Chinese man, handing him the newspaper.

"Today's news." He said stoically. "Xièxiè Wong." Yao said as he took the newspaper with his free hand. Wong held his breath, wanting to tell him his name was Lei, not Wong. But Yao wanted to stick to his Mandarin name instead of his Cantonese name. "Bié kèqì." He replied, bowing slightly before making his way to the doors on the left to the verandah, opening the doors. The smoke instantly escaped into the starry sky, floating above all the brightly lit buildings of the city. Cars could be heard honking, East Asian jazz music playing from the clubs below.

"Hey, Wong, did you read this aru?" Yao asked, taking a puff from his pipe. Lei walked the table in the center, kneeling down. He held the lid to the teapot as he poured his master the tea, giving a straight look. "Read what?" He asked, setting the teapot down. "An attempt to steal one of the Gottes Boten's treasures aru." Yao told him, whacking his pipe on the side into the ashtray.

"Ah yes. I believe everyone has heard." Lei said with a bored expression, lifting the lid to the steamer. The steam escaped the lid, him waving the lid to clear the hot air. Inside was Char Siu bao, freshly made. "Aiya... what fool would try to steal from them aru...?" The Emperor figure sighed. He stood up from his floor chair and made his way to the table. His train from his cloak falling behind him as he kneeled at the table.

He picked up his cup and took a sip closing his eyes. "Oolong tea today aru?" Yao asked, giving a slight smile at Lei. "Yes. I even took the liberty of preparing the bao freshly this morning. Much to Neeraja's dismay, but luckily Cheng and Tai said it was alright." He said, gesturing to the buns. "Ah really?" Yao smiled, reaching for a bao and took a bite. "Delicious! The pork is so juicy! You never cease to amaze me aru." He smiled, taking another huge bite.

Suddenly the lights flickered violently above. Yao and Lei looked up in confusion, wondering what was going on. The room blacked out for a few seconds, before the light slowly glowed back. "What was that aru?" Yao asked, looking at Lei. "Not sure... I'll check with the generators." Lei said.

"Anyway, have you decided on who will be doing the mission?"He continued, giving Yao a look. "Of course. I have decided you, Yong Soo and Kiku aru." Yao said, reaching from another bun. Lei's eye twitched a little. He hated those two. Yong Soo was too loud and brass, and he still had trust issues with Kiku. After all, he tried to kill or capture almost everyone in the family back in the Second Mafia War. Of course he was in deep remorse for it, as he had stated a hundred times, but some of the members were still on... Rocky terms with him. He was sure Yao felt the same way, but he was more forgiving than the others.

But still, Lei, Yong Soo, and Kiku were probably the strongest in the family, next to Yao of course. The mission was a basic one, they were tasked to watch over the black market items from the docs to one of their warehouses. Guess it was simple enough for Lei. As long as no one attempts to steal the items of course.

He gave a soft sigh and stood up. "I will let you enjoy your tea. I will inform Kiku and Yong Soo." Lei walked towards the door and slid it open. He turned around and gave a sight bow. "Please excuse me." He said and beginning to close the door. "Oh, Wong." Yao stopped him, the boy looking up with a hum. "Yong Soo will be visiting later. I will tell him aru." Yao ordered. Lei grumbled a bit, and gave a bow. "Of course." He bowed. "Please excuse me."

"Take care." Yao smiled, waving up and down his hand. Once Lei left, Yao sipped his tea and gave a relaxing breath out as he looked over his city. He gave a hum as he tucked into his sleeve, pulling a piece of paper out. He gave a scold and ripped the item into pieces and threw it over the balcony. He told him thousands of times... Lei was his.

When he was done with his tea, he stood up, making his way back to the throne on the floor, his whole body comforted by the finest of pillows. He lit his pipe up again, and continued to smoke, watching the lights flicker.

Knock knock

"Yao, it is Yong Soo to give my report for today."

"Ah Yong Soo. Come in come in aru." Yao permitted with a huff. The door slid opened and a man with blackish brown hair with a swirl on. He wore a two piece blue and white hanbok, carrying a brown paper envelope in his hand.

The two looked at each other, as if waiting for something.

Yong Soo suddenly launched at Yao and jumped, fist drawn back. "Today, you will acknowledge me as Big Brother!" Yong Soo cried, landing his fists on the pillows, feathers flying everywhere. He gasped and turned around. Yao was up in the air and threw shuriken without a second thought. Yong Soo flicked his long sleeve, revealing a Jeogori. He twirled it in his hands, knocking the shuriken away. He then threw the spear at Yao as he landed.

Yao leaned back, the spear flying just millimeters above his nose. The spear stuck on the door, Yao flipping back and using the shaft to launch himself forward. He slid behind Yong Soo before he could blink and kicked him in the back. "Ack!" He gasped, flying into the doors, breaking into the hallway. Before Yong Soo could stand, Yao swung the blade of the Jeogori in his face.

"...Aiya... I told you before. It will be a thousand years until you can beat me aru." Yao sighed, swinging the spear to the right and put it by his side, using it to support his weight. Yong Soo sighed and stood up, smiling. "But I'll beat you one day and you and all the Family will acknowledge me! After all, martial arts originated from Korea da-ze!" He declared, pointing at himself. "Don't forget. I taught you everything I know, so you're going to have to try harder than that aru." Yao smiled, tossing the Jeogori back to Yong Soo, who caught it with both hands.

"Anyway, when are you going to stop attacking me whenever you see me?" The head asked, going back the room and sat down, picking up his pipe. He took a puff and looked at the Korean, his palm supporting his hand. "This is getting old aru..." Yao sighed, his right eye in between his pinky and ring finger.

"When I get acknowledged and when you call me big brother da-ze!" Yong Soo declared with a smile, putting a hand on his hip. "Big Brother." Yao repeated with no damn. "When you mean it..." Yong Soo whined.

"Anyway, what report do you have for me today aru?" Yao asked. "Oh yes, here." The young boy handed his elder the brown envelope, which Yao took. He opened the envelope, pulling out papers. "Thank you Yong Soo. Also I am tasking you with Wong and Kiku with tomorrow's shippings. Be at the dock at six am sharp. You may go now." Yong Soo stood there for a moment, then looked down.

"Hm? Something you want to talk about Yong Soo?" Yao asked, placing his papers down. "U-Um, it's regarding my brother..." Yong said, averting Yao's eyes. "Oh? What about him?" Yao asked, leaning on his fist "I'm worried about him... he's been locked in his room for a while now and refuses to see anyone except you and occasionally writes to that Ivan bastard..." Yong Soo gritted.

Yao sighed and stood up. He placed a hand on the young man's shoulder. "Don't worry. He'll come around one day aru. He's just... Taking some time is all." Yao reassured. Yong Soo tsked. His brother was brainwashed up to the point where he wanted nothing to do with anyone except Yao and Ivan. He gritted his teeth and tightened his fist. He wanted his brother back. So much.

Yao gave him a hug, stroking the back of his head. "I know what I did was wrong, but I'm trying to make it right. I promise you Yong Soo..." Yao promised. Yong Soo nodded as Yao pulled away. "Now go get some rest. You have a long day tomorrow aru." Yao smiled, Yong Soo nodded once more and left.

Lei sighed and kneeled in front of the paper door to Kiku's room.

Knock knock

"Kiku, it's Lei." Lei called from beyond the paper door. "Ah Lei-kum. Come in." A quiet voice said from the other side. Lei slid the door open, and moved in, not standing up. He turned around, closing the door. He faced forward, and met eyes with Kiku, who keeled at his table, sipping Green tea. He wore a traditional night kimono, his hair straight and neat. His eyes a hollow and golden.

"Konbanwa. To what do I owe this visit to?" Kiku asked, taking a sip. "Yao has told me that we and Yong Soo look over the shipping imports tomorrow." Lei informed him. "Ah, Sōdesu ka. Mā, I look forward to working with you two." Kiku nodded. "For telling me, Arigatou." Kiku said, with a sight bow. "We must arrive at six in the morning." Lei informed him, turning around.

"Hai. Arigatou. Mata Oyasumi Lei-kun." Kiku bowed, as Lei opened the door and turned around, still kneeling. He gave a bow, wishing him a good night and closed the door. "How can that guy be so chill around me even though he knows what he's done..." Lei thought to himself, slightly storming down the hallway. He looked out one of the windows and sighed. "I better get to sleep if I want this mission to go well..." He muttered, rubbing his head.

"Oh, you have a mission tomorrow?"

Lei looked up, Mei standing there with towel in hand. Seemed she was on the way to the onsen bath. "Huh? Oh yeah, going with Kiku and Yong Soo to look after some important shippings. Man this sucks..." Lei sighed. "Well, be careful tomorrow. These shipments have eyes from other gangsters and mafias." Mei interpreted. "I think I can handle it..." Lei muttered, moving past the her. "Hey, Lei?" Mei called out, Lei turning around to meet her glance. "Don't worry. I know you got this..." Mei smiled. Lei smiled slightly and nodded back. "Good luck with your mission too." Lei wished and headed to his room, deciding to retire for the night. Mei smiled, waving him after he left.

"Anyway, we better wash up and get to bed soon. Got that mission soon."

"Wow Neeraja! Rajesh looks so healthy! What do you give him?" A man with spiky hair and glasses awed at the Indian elephant, its trunk wrapping kindly around the Thai man's wrist. "I give Rajesh a lot of tree bark and fruit, mainly apples. He seems to love bamboo and jacaranda bark, so I give him bamboo daily and jacaranda bark as a special treat." The Indian man smiled, petting the elephant's head.

"Maybe I should give Toto the same diet ana..." The Thai Man smiled. "Tai! Neeraja!" A new voice called out, Neeraja and Tai turned around as a clean cut man with glasses approached them, holding a tray of snacks. "Cheng!' Tai smiled, Neeraja giving a light bow as a greeting. "Greetings Cheng." He smiled.

"Thought you'd be here." Cheng smiled, nodding at Neeraja to acknowledge his presence. "I tried a new recipe if you guys want to try." He offered, slightly holding out the tray. On the tray were three cups of tea with cookies and three bowls of fried rice mixed with seaweed, meats, and egg. Neeraja and Tai picked up the bowls and grabbed a spoon and chopsticks respectively. They both took a bite, and their eyes instantly lit up.

"This is delicious! Cheng what's the recipe?" Neeraja gasped, eating more. Cheng chuckled, setting down the tray on a nearby table and tucking in himself. "I fried it with the curry you made this morning. Changed the palm oil to the Thai coconut oil, and flavoured the seaweed with wasabi for the extra spice." He explained. "Well this is amazing ana!" Tai smiled, taking another bite.

The three cooks laughed and talked, letting the time fly by. Until a Bollywood ringtone cut off the conversation. "Oh, that's me. Excuse me my friends." Neeraja smiled, putting down his bowl and walking away to take the call. "Namaste?" He answered, the other two watching in curiosity. "Oh wonderful! Dhanyavaad!" He smiled, hanging up and walked back over texting someone.

"What was that about?" Cheng asked. "Rajesh's food has come on the same boat Lei's looking after, so I'm just texting Yong Soo to make sure that the crate gets delivered here instead." Neeraja explained, putting his phone away. "Oh? Lei and Yong Soo are taking care of it ana?" Tai asked, sipping some tea. "Yes, with Kiku as well." Cheng explained. "Those three ana? Well then they should be fine." Tai smiled, holding up his cup, his coworkers clinking their cups and drinking together.

"Oh it's this late? We better take a bath." Tai noted after a few more minutes of eating. "You guys go first, I'll catch up." Neeraja smiled, picking up the tray of dirty dishes. "Okay, don't take too long." Cheng smiled, he and Tai heading for the hotsprings.

Mei hummed a sweet tune as she enjoyed her hot spring bath. She rubbed the water on her arms lightly, enjoying the peace and quiet of the artificial hot springs. She tucked her hair behind her ear, her finger lightly passing a petal of the camellia in her hair.

"Mei, I thought you bathed already." A strict female voice called from behind her. The young Taiwanese turned around and smiled at the woman standing there. "Lien! So glad you can join me!" Mei smiled. The strict Vietnamese girl gave a huff before she leaned on her side with a hand on her hip. "I see you're enjoying yourself here." She muttered, removing her towel and joining Mei in the spring.

"Course I am. It's really relaxing." Mei smiled, splashing around a bit. "Hey! Don't splash!" Lien scolded. Mei stopped instantly as Lien was less than pleasant when angry. One time, Yong Soo tried to prank her by placing a fake cockroach on her bánh xèo, and as a result, Yong Soo couldn't move a single muscle in his body for six months.

"So how was your last mission?" Lien asked, scrubbing herself with the towel. Mei smiled and shrugged. "It was nothing. It was just settling a petty gang war. When I showed up, they instantly stopped cause they knew I was from The Lóng Shé Family. So we settled the war by evening their territories." Mei smiled and looked at Lien, who just nodded, scrubbing her arm. "What about you?" Mei asked. "Just the usual. Found a gang that wanted to take us down, so I took one of the squads and showed who's boss." She sighed, scrubbing away the dirt from the raid.

Mei laughed nervously and went back to scrubbing. "Hey, I can't seem to get my back, can you scrub it for me?" Mei asked, holding the sponge out. "Sure." Lien sighed. Mei smiled as she scootched up to Lien, her back facing the Vietnamese woman. The two girls sat there in silence before they heard deep laughter from over the wall that separated the girls from the guys.

"You tried again Yong Soo?"

"It'll work one day Cheng! You'll see! My country invented martial arts da-ze!"

"You say that about everything araina..."

"I do not!"

"Tai's right, you said that about Nintendo and Oppo, which Kiku and Yao beat you up for."

"Not true! Oh by the way!"

There was silence for a bit, then a little giggle.

"I'm gonna test the theory if the girls' bathhouse is better than ours!"

"And how are you planning to do that?"

"Tada! A waterproof camera developed by me da-ze!"

Mei's eyes went horrid. The boys had no idea that they were right next door. Lien's grip on the sponge tightened as she listened to their bombastic stories. "Mei..." Lien whispered. Mei stood up and went into the changing room. She emerged with a long boat paddle and tossed it to the fierce Vietnamese woman and gave a nod.

"Yong Soo, this isn't right! If Lien finds out about this, or even sweet Mei!" Yong Soo gave a scoff as he tied the camera on a string. He looked back at Tai and Cheng. "They won't know ." He scoffed. "This is still a bad idea araina..." Tai said softly. "You guys worry to much! Now! Let's see if the girls' side is better than ours!"

"Ahem!"

The boys froze in position. They all turned their heads to the entrance of their steam house, and there stood Mai. A towel wrapped around her body, arms folded, and a look of disgust. "Mei!" Cheng exclaimed, about to stand up, but then sat down again. "You boys realized that we were bathing next door right?" She gritted.

All of them froze, then Cheng and Tai snapped their attention towards Yong Soo. "W-Well... I-" Yong Soo began, Mei stopping him with a single glare. "Don't explain it to me. Explain it to her." Mei stepped aside, revealing the monster behind. "Oh no..." They muttered. Lien stepped forward, her paddle in hand. "Yong Soo...!" She gritted.

"I-I'm sorry! It wasn't my idea da-ze! Lien calm down!" He pleaded before she launched herself at him.

"I'M SORRY DA-ZEEEEE!"

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Xièxiè (謝謝) = Thank you

Bié kèqì (别客气) = You're welcome

Konbanwa (こんばんは) = Good evening

Sōdesu ka. Mā (そうですか。 まあ) = I see. Well

Arigatou (ありがとう) = Thank you

Hai. Arigatou. Mata Oyasumi Lei-kun (はい。 ありがとうございました。 おやすみ、レイくん) = Yes. Thank you. Good night Lei

Namaste (नमस्ते) = Hello

Dhanyavaad (धन्यवाद) = Thank you


	8. The Wild Kid Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They hide in the shadows, escaping from their pasts. No one knows they exist, but they will still protect what they love.

Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong

Under the shade of the coolibah tree

As he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled

You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me.

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda

You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me

As he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled

You'll come a Waltzing Matilda with me

A buff man sang lazily under a tree, shaking the foot that rested on his knee. His hat pushed forward, covering his eyes and forehead. Only exposing his bandaged nose. In front of him, a billy was boiling over a crackling fire. He kept singing, the kookaburras and willy wagtails singing along. The morning air was scented with gum trees and eucalyptus, but the man had been here for so long he didn't seem to notice. He always felt at home in the Australian bush rather in the busy streets of New York or Los Angeles. He admitted it was different, but it wasn't him.

"Christian, you're up early..." A small man yawned, emerging from one of the bushes. "Well this is my backyard. Not like your place Will, but it's still beautiful." Christian smiled, sitting forward and poking the pot over the fire with a long stick. "What's for breakfast?" William asked asked, taking a seat across the fire. "Honey oatmeal." Christian smiled, using the long stick to get the billy off the fire. He opened it swiftly and grabbed one of the four bowls next to him and poured the thick porridge in it. "There you are kiwi." Christian smiled, William smiled back, taking the bowl.

"So the seppos not up yet?" Christian asked serving himself a bowl. "When I walked past their tent I didn't hear Alfred snoring, but I heard him humming over there somewhere. Matt not sure, he's really quiet…" Will muttered, taking a big bite. "I can't believe we found the New Kelly Gang out here…. Australia's a large place how'd you know where they were?" William asked. Christian smiled, leaning forward a bit. "I still remember my tracking days. Even though I was forced to forget them, I never could." Christian explained, shifting his weight a bit.

"Well, just as long as they don't terrorize backpackers anymore…" William muttered, playing with his breakfast. "But I'm surprised Al wanted to tag along. He only does missions if they benefit the United States…" William said, taking a bite. "Hey, you don't think that the New Kelly Gang were planning something big do you?" He asked, pointing a spoon at Christian. "With goons that weak, nah…." Christian scoffed. "But still….." He muttered, holding up his wrist and tapped on his watch. "Their motifs are quite disturbing." He admitted, a hologram flickering up from the watch and panned through the screens. "Their gang is distributed all over Australia, and according to this file, they were planning multiple terrorist schemes aiming at immigrants…. Could have started a civil war." Christian muttered, zooming out of the hologram.

"And if they got in power, they might have severed ties with the US, New Zealand or Canada… maybe that's why Alfred decided to get involved." William suggested. "Speaking of which, is he done over there?" Christian wondered, looking over his shoulder as he chewed on his breakfast.

"OH MY GOD GET IT OFF GET IT OFF GET IT OFF!" An American accent screamed. "A-Alfred stay still!" A quieter voice tried to say over the screaming voice. Suddenly, a man in a blue pair of pajamas decorated with hamburgers sprinted out screaming, running past the New Zealander and Australian, a black thing on his head.

"WAAAHAHAHA IT'S GONNA BITE MEEEEE! MATTIE SAVE ME!" The American cried, a man looking exactly like him running after him. "I can't if you run Alfred!" Matthew cried after him.

Christian groaned as the panicked two ran around the fire, standing up and dusted himself lightly. When Alfred passed by Christian in a blind run around, Christian grabbed him by the collar and pulled him back. He grabbed the huge spider that was resting on his head and let it out gently. "There you are fella." Christian cooed, the spider moving away.

"Oh man, dude! That was like…. The scariest thing that happened! Ever!" Alfred panicked. Christian gave a thoughtful hum as he stood up, adjusting his hat. "Yeah nah mate! That's level one of the bush. What ya really gotta look out for….. Drop bears."

Immediately, William and Matthew gave a slight groan, almost face palming. They knew where this was going. Alfred tensed at the name. "D-Drop bears?" He repeated, sweating. "Yeah carnivorous little buggers. Leap down from trees to try eat your face off!" Christian sighed, shaking his head. "W-What?!" Alfred yelled in horror. "I-Is this true?! W-What do I do?!" Alfred panicked. Christian held a finger up and went over to his backpack. He pulled out a black and yellow jar and tossed it towards Alfred.

"Vegemite?" Alfred read, confused."Yeah, rub that behind your ears every five minutes and the drop bears won't touch you." Christian explained, zipping his bag up. Without any hesitation, Alfred popped open the jar, gagging at the sudden salty smell. "Do I have to?" Alfred whined. "Drop bears hate salty smells, so yes." Christian folded his arms, smirking at the American. Alfred looked at the jar, then dipped his fingers in and began rubbing it behind his ears at incredible speed. "I don't want the drop bears to get me!" Alfred yelled to himself.

"Oh, and drop bears attack when they sense excitement so, shh." Christian hushed, Alfred, clamping his hand over his mouth, only to retract it from the slight taste of the vegemite. "OH GRO-"

"Hey! Vegemite is a delicacy here! And shush!" Christian reminded him, Alfred shutting up again. "Remember, every five minutes." Christian repeated. Alfred nodded, as Christian walked up to the two quieter nations. "That oughta keep the cobber quiet for a bit." He smirked, giving them a pat on the back.

Matthew and William looked at each other, trying not to laugh at Christians prank. "U-Um…. You guys want some vegemite?" Alfred offered to Matt and Will. "U-Uh…. We're okay… we've learned how to cope with drop bears the last time we were here." Will smirked, having fun with this prank. "Anyway, sit down for some breaky while it's hot!" Christian called out, everyone joining him.

"U-Um… so what's the plan Christian?" Matthew asked, taking a seat by the fire. "Well, the closest city from here is Perth. We'll eat for a bit then get packing. We'll meet Ricardo at the designated point and we'll take off from there." He smiled, taking a bite. "Perth? Never heard of that one. Is that a new town?" Alfred asked, sitting down after he grabbed himself a bowl of the oatmeal. "No way mate! It's been a city since the 1800's! It's just quiet is all." Christian exclaimed, pointing a bit at Alfred. "Anyway, from here to Perth will take some fuel, so we'll do some sightseeing while the plane's fueled up to get to New York." He sighed, taking a bite. "Okay…" Everyone sighed, and looked down, playing with their food.

After a pretty decent meal for a camp, everyone got changed and packed up. Christian stomped out the fire to avoid a bush fire, William washing up the dishes, and the twins packing up the tents. Everyone put on their backpacks with a heave, Alfred trying his best not to fall over. "Right! We better get going! It'll take a couple of hours to get to the plane. Now, don't touch anything. Specially you Alfred. Don't want ya to chuck a sicky." Christian smirked, giving his good friend a hard whack on the back. "Umph!" Alfred coughed, jerking forward with the whack causing him to fall face first into the dirt. "Whoops! Sorry mate." Christian chuckled.

The four walked through the bush with Christian leading the way. The blistering heat was affecting Alfred and Matthew the most. William and Christian were used to it as Will had visited Australia many times and Christian, well, lived here. "Dude it's so HOT! I thought this was gonna be bush!" Alfred whined, the back of his ears burning from the vegemite. "This is bush mate! Or at least dry bush." Christian said. "WHAT?! You mean this isn't the desert?!" Alfred gasped. "Nah mate! The Outback is WAY harsher than this." Christian laughed, stepping cautiously off a small cliff.

The four kept walking, encountering many animals and interesting plant life along the way. Alfred was fascinated at the amazing animals, but most of them kept biting him causing him to run for his life, the others trying to run after him and calm him down. It was about midday when the group spotted their plane on an empty road.

"Hola amigos! Glad you're all alive." A dark-skinned man with a plaited ponytail beamed, hopping out of the cockpit. "G'day Ricardo!" Christian smiled, giving him a wave. "Oi, what's up with burger face?" Ricardo asked, looking at the almost passed out Alfred as he laid on the ground covered in red dirt and sweat. "Got swooped on the way here." Christian explained, putting his bag in the luggage hanger under the plane. "Well we better get cracking!" Chris smiled, he and the other two boarding the plane. "C'mon Al, or we'll live you behind!" Matt called, entering the plane. "I'm coming I'm coming!" Alfred yelled, scrambling to get up and boarded the plane.

Inside the plane was worthy of a Hollywood star or a world leader. There were six seats inside layered with soft white leather. Each one could be swiveled in either direction, and even had a control panel on each one both for business and comfort.

"I'mma shower first!" Alfred yelled, running for the bathroom and changing rooms. Everyone sighed a laugh, before turning to Ricardo. "So how's our former guest?" Will asked, folding his arms. "Bit annoyed to say the least." Ricardo chuckled, walking over to one of the chairs and pressing a button. A holographic screen came up, showing a man in custody somewhere tugging on his restraints. He growled and yelled, trying to get out. "He's been like that since he got to the police station." He sighed.

Christian growled a bit, furious at how this man tried to cause chaos and possibly steal this land from under his nose while he was away. He was so glad he got to punch him in the face when they came to take him down. "Anyway, he doesn't remember who we are. I made sure the memory gas wiped his memory of us. So he won't tell the police who we are. Also the police received our anonymous tip of every member in the organization. They're being raided as we speak." Ricardo reassured.

The hologram disappeared, Christian sighing before folding his arms. "At least everyone in Australia can breathe easy again…." He muttered, rubbing his head. Matthew looked down, whispering something. "Sorry Matthew did you say something?" William asked. "I-I said we better wash up and get ready for take off. I'm sure Michelle needs us back home as soon as possible." Matthew repeated, a little bit louder.

"Oh si! She must be tired of being the temporary head. We'll head to Perth for a quick fill up and head back to New York." Ricardo beamed, rubbing his hands together before heading to the cockpit. "Hey Al hurry up we're gonna take off soon!" Christian banged on the door. "Yeah I know I know! Give me a sec!" Alfred yelled from the other side.

Alfred soon emerged, sporting a black suit and tie with slicked back hair. He adjusted his cuffs and gave a playful pose. "Now the world is ready for Alfred F Jones, billionaire antihero of the night." He said, sticking his tongue out. "You're not Batman mate…" Christian sweatdropped. "Let me dream Christian!"

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Meanwhile back in New York, Michelle sighed as she leaned on the desk. Her mind was so tired from all the paperwork and now she was bored out of her mind. The only thing interesting that happened all week was the sudden black out a couple of days ago... She would really kill for a day at the beach right now…. Maybe she'll go when the others came back from their mission from Australia….

She gave a stretch and sighed, looking around the room. "Man being the acting head is so tiring…. How does Alfred do this everyday…?" She mumbled.

Knock knock

"Come in." The young girl smiled.

The door opened, a young man dressed in a white suit and hat entering with a smile. "Buenos dias Miss Michelle." He greeted with a tip of the hat. Michelle smiled back at the Ecuadorian man. "Bonjour Carlos." She smiled. "What can I do you for?" She asked. "I have some more pa-"

Michelle screamed and banged her head on the table, cutting him off. "Ah, I take it you just finished the other pile…" Carlos guessed. "When is Alfred and the others coming back? I can't take it anymooore…" Michelle cried. "He's coming back in two days I believe. But they want the papers first thing in the morning." Carlos sighed, taking the finished papers and replacing them with another file. "Uuugh!" Michelle groaned. "We have holograms and computers… remind me why we have to do this by hand again?" Michelle groaned pulling herself up. "Authenticity." Carlos replied, Michelle banging her head on the table again.

"Also Carlino called, he said he took care of the drug cartels in Victoria." Michelle smiled brightly, leaping up and giving him a tight hug. "Oh thank goodness!" She sighed, crying slightly. Carlos grunted a bit as she had almost tackled him. "I was so worried! I'll have to cal Carlino later and thank him. Or better yet! I'll bake a cake for him when he returns! Or we should have a taco party! When's he coming back?" Michelle asked as she let go, eyes filled with happiness.

"About another week. He want to make sure there are no other cartels or secret gangs hiding around." Carlos said, placing the papers on the desk. "Well I'll call Alfred and tell him immediately!" Michelle bounced back to the desk, putting the papers aside.

The door suddenly opened, Michelle and Carlos snapping their heads at the door. "Sorry to interrupt Michelle- Oh Carlos! Sorry I didn't see you there." An African man smiled. "It's quite alright Roshaun. I need to send these out anyway. I'll see you guys later." Carlos smiled and waved as he walked out.

"Take care." Michelle called after him as the door closed. "Sorry to barge in like that…" Roshaun rubbed the back of his head, smiling sheepishly. "Oh non it's alright." She smiled back. "Anyway, what's the problem?" She asked, beginning the paperwork. Roshaun's face went serious and quiet. He began to dig in his inner pockets and pulled out two envelopes. "I found these at our doorstep…" He handed one to Michelle who took it without a problem. "A letter to me?" She muttered, looking at the letter back to front.

"To most of us actually. It came from…. him."

Michelle froze. She looked up slowly at her teammate, her mind still reeling from the information. "W-What…?" Was all she could mutter. "I know… he doesn't talk to us for years then out of the blue he just writes to us? Why now?" Roshaun gritted, tightening his grip. Michelle sighed, staring at the envelope.

"So what do you want to do with them?" Roshaun asked her. "Huh?" Michelle gasped, snapping out of her thought. "As the acting head, what do you want to do with these letters?" Roshaun asked again. Michelle put her head down, toying with her letter. "I think… We should wait for Alfred and the others until we make a decision…" She decided. "Alright then. You want me to hold onto them for now?" Roshaun asked. "It's okay, I can hold on to them." Michelle smiled. Roshaun nodded and gave her all the envelopes.

"Thanks Roshaun." Michelle said with a forced smile. "It's alright." Roshaun nodded, and turned heel to leave. Once he left, Michelle looked at the desk, pondering if she should contact Lei and ask him if he received a letter. If he did, then that means he wrote to everyone, not just them. She sighed, shaking her head at the thought, and closed the drawer where she stored the envelopes for now.

OST Suggestion: Trailer Type B (Banana Fish)

Carlos hummed, file in hand, and he walked through the streets of New York City. It was busy as per usual, skaters practicing tricks, business men and women stumbling home from the bars after their hard day of work, fashionistas strutting their stuff while ignoring the perverts trying to appeal to them with the little decency they had left.

He turned down a sketchy alleyway, heading towards downtown where all the gangs and seedy dealings went down. It wasn't long until he was targeted by the first layer of this city's ugly underbelly...

"Hey handsome, you look bored…. Come play with me…"

"Hello cutie wanna have some fun with me?"

"Good evening sir… you look new here. Tell you what, I'll give you a special deal. Just for tonight…."

Sleazy women and succubui swarmed him like bees to a flower, desperate to make some money. They clinged to his back, roamed their hands up and down his body, attempting to trigger some kind arousal from the man. Carlos denied them of any service by only walking forward, not giving them any attention as one millisecond of eye contact would give them an opening to take him away for his pleasure.

He left the women desperately craving him and stepped downstairs into a hidden underground bar. He gave a tired sigh and knocked on the door. The door opened slightly, a beautiful woman with bunned up blond hair opening the door slightly. She wore an extremely low cut dress dyed a deep and lustful red. Her arms were tangled in a feathery and white boa, and her face caked with heavy make up.

She examined the man at the door before she gave a smile and opened the door wider and leaned against the frame, one of the high heel strapped legs creating a barrier between Carlos and the room in front of him and cigarette in hand.

"Carlos it's been a while. Business or pleasure tonight?" She asked. "Hello Ereka. It has been a while si. And it's always been business and you know it." Carlos chuckled, shifting his weight to a hand on his hip. Ereka groaned and put her leg down to let Carlos through. "You're no fun you know that?" She whined playfully as Carlos only laughed in response putting his hat on the coat hanger.

OST Suggestion: Anyaku (Joker Game)

Ereka closed the door behind her and assumed her position next to the door, waiting for the next person to knock. Carlos took a deep sigh as he looked around the room run down bar. It comprised of mostly men just drinking and smoking, some even having pretty girls on their laps, touching them all over. The girls would either giggle or moan at their touches, making Carlos shake his head.

At least have the decency to go upstairs or something. He moved to the back room covered by curtains, giving a subtle nod to the bartender, who gave a nod back. His arm pushed the curtain back as he stepped through, the fabric falling behind him. Inside, a man was already waiting with a beer in hand and a beautiful girl on his lap.

He looked about in his mid twenties when in truth he was in his early thirties. He looked very well and dapper for someone to be in this low life dump. His brown clean cut hair was slicked back, and eyes a deep chocolate brown. He was whispering something into the girl's ear making her giggle and wrap her arms around his neck playfully.

"Ah Carlos! Welcome my boy!" He beamed as the girl got off him so the man could greet Carlos properly. "Nice to see you again Alejandro." Carlos greeted back, shaking his hand. "Come in come in!" Alejandro smiled, gesturing to the empty couch across from where Alejandro was sitting earlier.

As both men took their seat, Alejandro sent the girl away much to her dismay but obeyed and left waiting to be called again. "So what messages do you want sent out today amigo?" Alejandro smiled, taking the beer in his hand and taking a sip. "Quite a few today. This one to the Latin Kings and this one to the Crips." He said, putting two of the envelopes down.

"Que? That's across the country! Ah well, I'll get one of my other guys to do it…." Alejandro sighed. "And then these five need to get to the Five Families. I trust you can send it to them without getting caught?" Alejandro scoffed as he leaned forward.

"Please, do you know who you're talking to? My business has been sending messages between gangs and mafias to each other for years I can take it." He scoffed. "Good, then that's all then." Carlos smiled as he stood up to take his leave. "Hey, come on amigo you just got here! Sit down and take a drink, maybe get a girl to serve you, all on me!" Alejandro pleaded.

Carlos turned around and smiled. "No thanks, I gotta get back to work. Thank you for the offer though. I'll see you around." Carlos waved and left, despite Alejandro's pleas for him to stay. Carlos grabbed his hat and adjusted it slightly, looking at Ereka one last time with a smile. "Adios Ereka. Stay safe." He wished opening the door. Ereka scoffed as she took a breath from the tobacco poison and looked back at him. "Don't get yourself killed honey." She joked back as Carlos left, the door closing behind him.

Carlos jogged up the stairs, stretching a bit before looking at his watch. It was almost midnight. He better get back before the other gangs reared their ugly heads. He whistled a bit as he navigated his way through New York's maze, trying to remember how to get out.

OST Suggestion: BANANA FISH (Banana Fish)

As he stopped to check his watch once more, he heard echoing of footsteps. His ears twitched back as the footsteps would not stop, his hands roaming to his gun, just in case. He turned around slowly, a shadow figure walking towards him slowly. Carlos stepped back as the figure inched closer and closer.

He tsked and pulled out his gun, cocking the hammer back. "Who are you?!" He demanded. The figure stopped, as if waiting calmly for something… Carlos tsked, leaning forward. "Hey, I asked who you-"

BANG!

Carlos gasped, feeling something pierce through his stomach. He looked down, red liquid spreading through his clean white suit. He swore about to pull the trigger on his attacker, only to feel a sudden dizziness take over him. "S-Shit…" He gasped as he toppled over and everything turning to black.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Kiwi= New Zealander

Seppos = Americans

Cobber = Friend

Breaky = Breakfast

Chuck a sicky = To be sick

Hola amigos = Hello friends

Buenos dias = Good day

Bonjour = Hello


	9. Revelations

The sea crashed on the cliffside of the night sky cloaked the warehouses, only the sea being the only sounds.

She took a deep breath in, her body shaking as she exhaled.

"You okay?"

"Yeah… It's just…. I hope we don't have to see them…"

"...Come on. Let's go."

OST Suggestion: Coffin Man (Black Butler)

A guard passed by, the gun clicking as he walked heavily through the hallways of the Germanic's new hideout. He turned the corner, his footsteps getting further away. As he did, the vent above slowly moved to the side as two figures dressed in black softly leaped down onto the floor, crouching as they looked around the hallways. Both of them ran down the neon purple dark hallway in the opposite direction of the guard. Both of them turned right, sticking to the walls out of the security cameras' visions. They reached an opening to another hallway and kneeled down.

The smaller figure flicked out her wrist and tapped her watch face. As she did, a hologram screen and keyboard emerged from the watch. She did a few taps, before the screen displayed a camera like screen. "Here we are. Two level two guards headed this way." She muttered, her and her associate sticking to the wall, quiet.

The two guards turned down the hallway, dressed in all white with white guns clutched in their hands. Their helmets restricted their upper face but kept their lower half exposed.

As the guards passed by, the two that broke in looked at each other and gave a nod. The smaller one gave a high pitched whistle. Both guards instantly turned, preparing for their guns. "Oneven lawaai op locatie 32,13 Officieren 34 en 51 onderzoeken." (Odd noise from location 32,13. Officers 34 and 51 to investigate) The female soldier said as she pressed the side of her helmet. "Kopieer dat." (Copy that) A voice said from the helmet. Both soldiers slowly entered down the hallway. A few seconds after they walked down the hallway, the other two leaped onto them, covering their mouths in chloroform.

The guards tried to fight back, but quickly went unconscious due to how powerful the chloroform was. They quickly went limp, falling into their assailants arms. The two caught the sleeping guards and quickly dragged them to the storage room just across them.

Inside were boxes and weapons, enough to hide two unconscious bodies in there. Two the black figures pulled down their mouth masks, revealing to be Bella and Victor. "Right, you take that side, and I'll take this side." Victor said quickly, dragging the body. Bella exhalled as as she began to strip the female guard down, and quickly donned the uniform, Victor doing the same. Bella tied her hair up, trying to copy the guard's neat bun. When the two were done, they shoved them in a crate and donned the helmets.

"Let's go." Bella sighed, grabbing the gun. "Yeah…" Victor agreed, grabbing his weapon. Both of them left the room as calmly as possible. Bella lifted her hand to the button where the mic button would be. "Alles duidelijk. De route hervatten." (All clear. Going back to original route.) She reported. "Kopieer dat." A voice reported in her ear.

"Right, guarded room should be up ahead." Victor whispered, gesturing his gun to the left. Bella nodded, her and her brother moving in that direction. The moment the siblings turned to the side, they came to a grand clearing with two guards by the door. The brother and sister looked around as they walked to the door. Lovino wasn't kidding when he said it was heavily guarded. There were guards everywhere, facing each entrance and exit to the clearing, at least ten guards facing the entry to the secret room, and at least a dozen cameras facing the door. "How are we gonna do this?" Victor whispered to Bella as the two kept walking.

"Don't worry, we can do this." His sister whispered reassuringly. They walked up to the guards currently guarding the door and gave a salute which the other guards gave back. "Tijd om over te schakelen." (Time to switch) Bella said with confidence. One of the guards looked at his watch and nodded. Luckily Bella remembered how strict Ludwig was with times and always assigned each hideout the same breaks and switch times. The guards marched away, Victor and Bella taking their place.

"So what's the plan now?" Victor whispered softly to his sister, focusing in front of him like he did back when he was a member of the Gottes Boten. "Well if I remember correctly, Ludwig always asks some people to check all the storage rooms thanks to the Gilbert incident… We'll wait till that happens and while everyone is distracted and we'll make our move." She whispered. "And the cameras?" Victor asked. "Don't worry, hacked into them when I checked the hallway earlier. One push of a button and all systems will be down. Also hacked into the door mechanics so it'll be hard to open." Bella explained. "And if there's someone inside?" Victor asked. "We'll knock them out."

"Wow guess you thought of everything…" Victor said quite impressed. Bella gave a bit of a smirk. And right on cue, a voice came through the helmet's earpiece. "All soldiers report to the Main Hall! NOW!" A strict man yelled through the ear piece. All the soldiers began to move to the designated area. Bella and Victor began to follow behind them, and when they were alone and out of the camera's vision, Bella tapped on her watch and watched a camera from across the hallway fizzle and die out.

"Now!" Bella hissed, her and her brother making it into the room. As soon as the door shut Bella tapped on her watch and the once bright light went out and the lights went into a dark red, signalling a lockdown. "We haven't got long until someone checks the room. We better look around and grab what looks like information, secrets, or something that the Gottes are hiding." Bella said quickly.

Both of them turned around, not having a good look around when they first entered. Both of them gasped at what they saw. Potions bubbling with a closed flame boiling it underneath from the flask. Books with weird diagrams and scripts, eyes, organs, and unidentifiable things preserved in jars, weird mutations like lizards with a hundred eyes, mice carrying a hundred lumps on their back, and rats with two heads crawling in their cage, scars noticeable to where the head was added.

"Damn it…. Still the scientists I see. Oh sorry, wizards…" Victor hissed, moving forward.

"Come on. Let's get some images and a file or something and get out of here." Victor said, Bella snapped out of it and looked up. "R-Right!" She said, holding the watch up and took a photo of the lab, of the books, of the things in the jars. Good thing they had Vlad on their side, maybe he could decipher all of this. "I'm sending these to Vlad!" Bella said, immediately sending them to their friend. But it would not let her. "Damn it! I lost the WIFI and Reception! I'll have to send them later…." Bella muttered to herself.

"Hey, look at this!" Victor called his sister over. She ran over to him, and looked over his shoulder. He was was holding a folder, flipping through the pages. She gasped as they scanned through the folder. "No way! Are they serious?!" Bella muttered, her hand to their mouth. "Let's get out of here!' He whispered in a low voice.

As the two headed quickly for the door, they heard a heavy thud. Like banging. The brother and sister stopped, another bang came from the metal door and the twins ducked down under the tables. After the third bang, the door came flying off in front of the hinges. Bella put her hand over her mouth to stop her from breathing heavily.

She looked at her brother, who looked at her back. He mouthed at her not to move a muscle before looking back at the front. Bella looked forward, the man that kicked down the door began to walk slowly around the room. Bella turned her head slightly, praying that they wouldn't find her under here. But then something caught her eye… Her hidden eyes widened, her mind racing. Only one person would ever wear a white and blue striped scarf.

"No no no no no…. Not him! Please Gott anyone but him!" She pleaded, looking back at her brother. He shook his head, pleading with his sister to keep it together. She took sighs through her mouth and focused on what was in front of her. The man stopped beside the open table Bella was hiding under. She stopped breathing, slowly turning her head to the man's feet. It was freakishly still. She watched, her heart begging for the man to move.

Suddenly, she felt a pull on her ankles. She gasped sharply, her fingers scraping against the floor. She got pulled out, two guards holding her by the shoulders. She grunted, trying to wriggle free, but the guards kept their grip on her arms and shoulders. "Govert meener, we have acquired the target." One of the guards confirmed.

"Good, hold up her head." Govert demanded. The guard put his arm under her armpit, securing her chin, restricting her to move. "Tell me, why would a soldier be in a restricted room when there were specific orders for you to move until the hall?" He asked, folding his arms. Bella stuttered, trying to to rattle a good excuse.

"I just… wanted to make sure that no one would get in while we were in lockdown…." She said, trying not to crack a sweat. "Really? Under the table?" Govert asked, raising an eyebrow. "E-Element of surprise sir…" Bella stuttered. Govert walked up to her and stared at her through the black eyeshield. Luckily Bella knew how to deal with on spot interrogations, especially with the Gottes Boten family. She stood her ground and didn't dare turn her face away.

"...Take her to one of the holding cells." Govert ordered. Bella's heart went into a panic. She knew what happened down in those cells. "W-What?! Please no! I haven't done anything!" Bella pleaded, trying to get out only for Govert to ignore her pleas. "And contact Vater Ludwig and Herr Gilbert of our situation." He ordered. "Ja meener!" (Yes sir)

When Govert turned around, he was greeted with a hit to the nose from the butt a white gun. He fell on the floor with a thud, groaning as he held his nose. The two guards that held onto Bella loosened their grip out of surprise, giving Bella the opportunity to attack them. She kicked one in the stomach as she swiftly roundhoused the other in the neck.

"Come on we gotta run!" Victor yelled, grabbing his sister by the wrist and both of them began to run through the twisted maze of a wearhouse. Govert gritted as he watched the two escape. He held his watch up to his mouth. "Attention all squads! Two guards are on the run! Lockdown mode commence!" He ordered.

Bella and Victor ran, trying to find the exit as the halls turned red, and every hall became filled with siren noises. "You got an escape plan Bella?!" Victor yelled as they continued running. "We need to escape through an air vent! All doors are in lockdown mode. If we hack into them they'll know where we are and will send the nearest guards there!" She yelled back as they skidded a corner. "And if we encounter anyone we can pretend we're searching!" She finished. "Roger that!" Victor copied.

The two kept on running, luckily not encountering any guards yet. But they knew it was only a matter of time before they would bump into someone. Or worse… Ludwig would show up. "Here!" Victor pointed up, the open air vent from before above them. Soon they heard running and yelling from down one of the hallways. Victor looked at his little sister with worry, grabbing her by the shoulders. "Bella, you go first!" He ordered, looking at her straight in the eyes. "No! You have the file and there's no time to switch! You have to go!" She pleaded, the footsteps and shouting getting closer. "Bella, you're my little sister I can handle it! Go!"

Before Bella could argue back, he picked Bella up and hoisted her up into the air vent. "No! Victor!" She yelled, trying to fight her older brother back. "Just go Bella!" Victor pleaded, pushing her feet up. As soon as Bella's feet were hidden from sight, Victor heard a yell behind him. "Hey wat ben je aan het doen?!" (Hey what are you doing?!) Victor turned around, hands in the air signalling surrendering. "Mijn partner ging door, ik wacht gewoon op haar." (My partner is up ahead, I'm just waiting for her) Victor replied calmly.

Bella knew her brother told her to leave, but she couldn't leave her brother behind. She stayed in the vent, not daring to move.

It was silent for a bit, Bella resisting the urge to look. "En hoe zit het met die open luchtopening?" (And what about that open vent?) Bella and Victor clenched. Bella gritted her teeth, she had to move but what would happen to her brother if she left?

"We hebben het zo gevonden, dus ik bewaak de wacht terwijl mijn partner voor is." (We founded like this, I'm guarding it while my partner is up ahead.) Victor explained. Silence again.

"Check the vent."

"No!" Victor yelled. Bella heard yelling and clamoring. She scrunched her eyes and clenched her fists. She had to help her brother! But as she turned around, she felt clawing on her legs and was dragged out of the vent.

She screamed, trying to squirm out again. But the guards forced her down to her knees next to her struggling brother, forcing their hands behind their backs. "Govert sir, targets acquired!" A soldier reported, as Govert moved through the soldiers saluting him. Bella and Victor tried to struggle out of the soldiers' grips, but to no avail. Bella and Victor gritted, as the soldiers grabbed their chins and forced them to look at their superior. Govert looked at the apprehended two, a dark aura around him. "You two are in a world of pain…. But before I send you two down to the holding cells I want to see your faces before the bruising…" He said darkly.

Bella and Victor began to struggle violently, pleads of protests coming from them. Two guards grabbed onto their helmets and yanked them off, their hair floating down onto their faces. The brother and sister instantly looked down in defeat.

The atmosphere suddenly changed from hostile to confused and shocked. Bella and Victor looked up, staring at Govert with regret and worry. Govert looked back with shock, his tough exterior melting away to a mixture of shock, and confusion. "B-Bella…? Victor…?!" He whispered, looking at the two familiar faces below him.

"...Hello brother…" Bella muttered, looking down again.

"It's Missen Bella and Herr Victor!" Someone whispered. Everyone didn't know how to react, the guards restraining Bella and Victor automatically loosened their grip as Govert fell to his knees. He put his hand up to their faces and touched their cheeks to make sure it wasn't some kind of illusion. "It really is you! Oh Godzijdank!" He cried, pulling them into a tight hug, tears rolling down his face. "I was so worried you were killed or you were taken prisoner!" He cried, as he looked at them again, touching their chins slightly with a relieved smile.

"How did you find us? How did you know about this place? Where have you been?" He asked, looking between his brother and sister. Bella and Victor looked at each other, then back at Govert. "Govert-" Bella began.

"Wait…" Govert said, feeling something hard in Victor's shirt. He reached into his undershirt and pulled out the file Victor took earlier. "...Victor why do you have this…?" He asked, holding up the folder. "Govert, please-" Bella tried again. "Why do you have this folder? Now that I think about it, why did you break in, attack me, and lie to me?" Govert integrated, his aura going back to angry.

"Govert, please don't make this hard enough than it already is!" Bella pleaded. "What is the truth Bella?!" Govert demanded. Victor gritted his teeth, and spoke up. "Govert… we didn't want it to be this way… we didn't want you to see us like this… But this was our choice Govert." Victor looked at his brother with apologetic eyes, as he opened his hand and a smoke grenade slipped out of his sleeve and pulled the pin.

"We're sorry. For everything."

OST Suggestion: Overdrive (To Aru Matjutsu no Index)

Victor sharply broke out of the guards' grasps and threw the grenade on ground as grey gas erupted from the grenade. Everyone covered their mouths immediately, coughing violently. Govert opened his eyes slightly, almost impossible to see even a meter in front of him. He felt the file snatched swiftly from his hands, and heard two people running off.

"Bella! Victor!" Govert called out, getting no reply. "Find them! But do not hurt them!" Govert ordered. "Ja meener!" The soldiers copied. Some soldiers ran down the hallways, others into the open vent.

"Tell everyone we are looking for Bella and Victor! Get every soldier to guard every vent, every door, every window! We finally found them and we're not letting them go!" Govert ordered to another soldier. "Ja meener!" The soldier saluted and ran off.

Meanwhile, Bella and Victor kept running as they gritted their teeth, Bella holding tightly to the file. "How are we going to get out?! Govert's probably got every entrance and exit guarded!" Bella frantically thought, thinking of every scenario she could pull in her head.

"Attention all guards! Missen Bella Jansen and Herr Victor Jansen have been spotted on premise! Under Herr Govert's orders, do not hurt them! Guard all exits including windows and air vents!" A voice from the microphones echoed.

"Great, now what do we do?" Victor gritted, still running through the hallways with Bella tailing behind. She looked around frantically, then looked at the map embedded on her holographic watch. She studied it one another time, then she had an idea. She did a few taps, Victor looking at her as they kept running. "What are you doing?"

"I'm opening a couple of doors!" She told him. "But they'll be guarding them!" Victor exclaimed. "Yep! That's why…." She gave a final tap on the system, and a door began to open slowly. "East side!" Someone exclaimed, soldiers from the nearby area running to guard the door. In another area, that door began to open, and another and another.

Slowly, the guards focused less on the hallways and more on the doors that were opening around the areas. "I'm creating a distraction!" She exclaimed. "Up ahead! There should be weak spot in that wall that leads to the outside!" Bella pointed to the wall in front of them. "Leave it to me!" Victor exclaimed, stopping to take out his gun and firing. It took about ten bullets till the wall broke down. "Shame I didn't bring my bazooka but this works out fine." Victor joked, letting the gun hit his shoulder. "Come on! We better get going before someone heard it!" Bella exclaimed as she ran to the still crumbling wall.

As she ran through, she leaped out without looking. She noticed that it wasn't facing the way her map had told her… Instead she saw the endless horizon of the sea complimented by a black sky.

"E-Eh….?" She gasped. "T-The sea should be…. The other way…." She thought. She turned around, seeing Victor's face filled with worry and shock. "Ah…!" She began to scream as fell towards the sea.

"VICTOOOOOR!" She screamed, reaching her hand out.

"BELLAAAAA!"

She heard her brother scream, as she hit the black sea. As she felt herself fall, she felt a pair of familiar, yet different hands hold her. Then everything went black.

Heracles sat patiently in the meeting room, two guards behind him as he played with a black and white cat. The thin paper doors were open all the way to expose the beautiful zen garden, only separated by a wooden verandah. The water flowed into a bamboo shoot, falling with a heavy clack before tilting up again to be refilled by the small waterfall.

The cat yawned, closing its golden eyes and curling up in the Greek's lap, making his spine crawl due to overbearing cuteness. The bamboo shoot clacked on the stone again, and a door opened. In came in Mei wearing clothes mixed between a cheongsam and a kimono.

"Heracles! Glad you could make it!" She smiled as she stepped through, two men in suits following behind her. "Yeah…." Heracles yawned, as Mei took her seat. "Kiku's not with you?" He asked. "Oh no, he's with Lei and Yong Soo in China at the moment. He's been put in charge of supplies." Mei smiled as she took a seat across from Heracles, giving him a radiant smile. "But it was still nice of him to use his house for our meeting." She smiled, as the cat in Heracles's lap yawned. "Alright, we better get down to business." Mei smiled as two men, one from each family, placed a small bowl in the centre of the table, while the other two placed daggers in front of their superiors.

"We are bonded by blood and loyalty…." Mei began, picking up the dagger and cut her hand open.

"As long as our lands are connected…." Heracles recited, doing the same.

"We shall forever be aligned." They said in unison, holding their hands over the bowl, squeezing their hands until a drop of blood landed in the bowl, mixing with each others.

Heracles and Mei wiped the blood of their knives with a white cloth their assistants gave them, then wrapped their hands with bandages given to them by their second assistants.

"Right! Now that's that done, let's get started!" Mei smiled, the two assistants who placed the bowl taking it away. As they did, Mei pulled out a pile of paper and placed it in the centre of the table. "First off is trade between our two families. Now, I think that we are alright with our weapons trade, but Yao made a point if one of our two families are in danger how shall we flow in supplies such as food and water?" Mei began, holding up a piece of paper.

"Mmm…. Well as from our meeting from a couple of years ago, our underground road between our two hideouts is almost complete. So we can use that for the trade of emergency supplies…" Heracles muttered, petting Kiku's cat. "Ah that's right! We can definitely use that for emergency trade." Mei smiled, writing it down.

A couple of hours passed, Mei writing down the second last point of the meeting. "And finally the issue on our other allies. As you know, both our families have other allies. We need to make sure that-"

Rustle!

Both Heracles and Mei looked in alert at the rustle in the garden. They stood up sharply, the cat running away. The guards standing in front of them, guns drawn. "Who's there?!" One of the guards demanded. It was silent for a bit, before a long sigh was heard.

"Aww…. I was caught~….. I was hoping I would stay hidden a little longer, but I guess there's no helping it…" A man stood up from the bushes, wearing a creepy smile. The guards readied their weapons, Heracles and Mei staring at the man. He definitely looked like him, but it didn't seem like him at all!

"Y-You're….!" Mei gasped. As she did, the four guards that stood protecting them flew past them, their blood splattering on their faces. The wind from them flying past forcing their hair to fly. Heracles and Mei watched as their men flew right behind them, crashing into the hallway. They watched with wide eyes, the attack happening so fast.

"Why do I always have to do the hard work?"

The two switched their attention back to the enemy in front of them, gasping when a second member landed next to the freckled man. He was dressed in black, a red scarf flying as he landed. "H-He's…!" Mei gasped. "Thought it was more like you dear~" The other man smiled psychotically. The bigger man gritted his teeth, ignoring his partners flaunts.

"Oh of course where are my manners?" The pink haired man sighed, slightly hitting himself in the head, then rummaging through his bag. He smiled, pulling out two sweets in the palm of his hand.

"Would either of you like a cupcake?"


	10. Sea Dogs

Kiku, Yong Soo, and Lei stood as the ship pulled into the harbor. Yong Soo whistled, putting his hands on his hips. "This is a big ship! Is all of it for us?" He asked, looking at Lei. "Hai. Yao-nii-san wanted some more weapons for our squads and factions, not to mention our food rations are on the ship, for us and our livestocks. I also overheard him making plans for another Chinatown…." Kiku informed. "Haaah? Another one? Isn't it like, his fifth one this month?" Lei asked. "Yep." Kiku just replied, stepping forward as the ship's gangway descended.

"Oh if it isn't the Unholy Trio." A man grunted, stepping down to greet the ones transferring the goods. He wore his long hair in a plait, wearing mainly furs. On his back, multiple weapons such as daggers, swords, halberts, and bows and arrows, his face cold and unmerciful. "Konichiwa Altansarnai-san…" Kiku greeted back with a bow, a bit coldly. "Yo Altansarnai! Haven't seen you in a while. Guess that mission in Russia's got you all tangled up huh?" Yong Soo greeted, walking up to the Mongolian with a smile. "Idiot. He's been keeping an eye in Mongolia, his business in Russia finished months ago." Lei informed, hitting the Korean on the back of the head. "Ow Lei~! This is not cool! Hitting did not originate in Korea da~ze!" Yong Soo whined, holding his head.

"Shut up."

As the two were bickering, a young girl peered around the door, looking down at the group at the harbor. Yong Soo looked up at the door, noticing the young girl standing at the door of the ship. "Oh Li Ann! You're here too?" He smiled, waving up at her. Lei looked up too, catching her brown eyes in his golden brown ones. Li Ann instantly yipped, ducking her head back inside, then back out, looking at the Korean and the Chinese boys.

"Hey when are you going to stop being shy? Besides you're blocking the doorway!"

Li Ann felt a light shove, forcing her to lightly stumble towards the centre of the door. "S-Sorry Zamrud…" She smiled awkwardly, rubbing the back of her head. She moved down the gangway as two other girls followed behind her.

"Oooooh! Zamrud and Aisyah as well! I haven't seen you guys in forever!" Yong Soo smiled, waving at them as they came down. "Selamat pagi, Pak Yong Soo." Aisyah bowed, the Indonesian girl then looking to her Singaporean and Malaysian comrades. "Konichiwa Aisyah-san, Zamrud-san, Li Ann-san. Do you have the list?" Kiku asked, turning his attention towards the girls. "Right here." Zamrud smiled, handing him three clipboards.

Kiku hummed, skimming through the lists. "Right, seems that everything is in order. Food in docking bay one, weapons in bay two, building supplies in bay three. Lei, take care of food, Yong Soo, building supplies, and I'll take care of weapons." Kiku ordered, handing Lei and and Yong Soo their designated clipboards.

"Aw, why can't I get food?" Yong Soo whined. "Because your fat mouth will eat it all." Lei muttered as he walked past him. "Hah I do not~!" Yong Soo whined, following the teenager. Kiku watched them leave, then turned his head back to the four from the boat.

"Anyway, thank you for helping us with our supplies." Kiku thanked. "I-It's no worries. Honestly…" Li Ann smiled. Altansarnai turned around looking at the three girls. "Aisyah, you go help Yong Soo. Zamrud, help Kiku. Li Ann, help Lei." He commanded. "Eh? What about you Altansarnai?" Li Ann asked, tilting her head.

"I'll be on the ship telling the men where to go of course." Altansarnai sighed, heading back up the ship. "Head to your stations. The supplies will head to you soon." He ordered. "Yes sir!" The girls saluted, Li Ann and Aisyah running after their superiors.

"Come." Kiku muttered, walking to docking bay one. "Y-Yes sir!" Zamrud stuttered, following him. The two walked in silence, the tension still between them. Although they had forgiven him on what he did in the past, the people he hurt still sometimes thought about it. "Are you okay?" Kiku asked, stopping and turning around to face her.

"H-Huh? I-I'm fine…." She stuttered, forcing a smile. "Are you sure? You're not seasick are you?" He asked, his voice filled with worry and placed a hand on her forehead. "I'm fine! Really!" She smiled, backing away with her hands in a defensive position. "We should just get these supplies to the mansion!" She smiled, walking ahead. Kiku watched her head to the docks, he could tell why she was getting defensive. Guess he still had blood on his hands….

A man stood out from behind the tall crates, adjusting his sunglasses. He chuckled, tapping his nail decorated bat on his shoulder. "Wow, he looks exactly like him…. But he seems so different… Ah well, should almost be time." He smiled before going back behind the crate.

"S-So Lei, how's life in the house? It's been a while since we've all lived there…." Li Ann asked, trailing behind Lei. "Same as always. How about you? How's life on the high seas?" Lei asked, as he kept on walking. "Aiya it's alright… My sisters and I are all vice-captains, while Altansarnai looks after all of us." She smiled. "Sometimes I miss everyone in the house… but I feel so free on the seas! It's amazing lah!" She sighed happily.

"Free huh….?" Lei thought. "Sounds great..." Was all he managed to say as they approached the vans. The two stopped, an assistant running up to them giving a salute. "Xiānshēng Lei, Xiǎojiě Li Ann, the vans are all waiting for your command." He saluted. Lei nodded, turning around to Li Ann. "Come on, let's get started." He said with a straight face. "Yes sir!" Li Ann saluted, walking up to the vans, clipboard in hand.

Suddenly Li Ann stopped, looking up and behind her. She stared at the containers stacked to the sky, humming in thought. "Li Ann? Something wrong?" Lei asked, turning around. "Just thought I sensed something…. It's probably nothing lah…." She said, turning back and waking towards the vans.

"Aw man! I was hoping to snack on some kimchi or some pokey sticks or something…." Yong Soo grumbled as the men piled the building supplies into one of the black vans. "Pokey sticks originated in Korea by the way!" Yong Soo beamed as he put his hands on his hips, looking at Aisyah. "Right right….." She muttered, writing down on the papers on the clipboard. "Put that crate in that van." She ordered two men carrying a crate, pointing to one of the multiple vans lined up. "Yes ma'am!" They replied, moving to the van.

"Oi Aisyah, can I have a snack?" Yong Soo asked. "Tidak." She replied, not looking up from the clipboard. "Aw come on Aisyah, I didn't have breakfast this morning!" He wined, leaning over shoulders. "Have an apple." She simply said, stuffing an apple into his loud mouth which made him shut up and stumble back. "Now can you focus on the task here?" She asked. "Y-Ye…." He grumbled, reaching up for the apple and taking a bite.

As he took a slight bite, he stopped as if he sensed something. He stood there frozen, eyes closed, as his senses heightened, sounds, vibrations, and even smells swirling around him. He concentrated, a feeling that something wasn't right. His eyes suddenly snapped open, and tackled Aisyah to the ground.

"Get down!" He yelled, as multiple explosions erupted from the vans. Everyone screamed, dropping whatever they were carrying and running for cover. Yong Soo stayed on the ground protecting his Indonesian comrade by shielding her body from the heat and falling debris as the explosions kept coming.

"What was that?!" Kiku gasped, hearing the explosions from the other dock as everyone stopped due to the tremors. Lei and Li Ann watched in shock and horror as they saw the flames rise from the dock. Altansarnai rushed to the side of the boat, his subordinates running to the side as well watching smoke rise from the third bay. His eyes widened, frozen on the spot by the scene. "Erkhem ee! What are your orders?" A guard asked. Altansarnai tsked, running to the gangway. "Protect the ship! I'm going over there!" He ordered.

As he just got off the gangway, a sharp object landed in front of his feet, causing him to stop in his tracks. Altansarnai stared at object, his mind processing what was in front of him. "A hockey stick?" He muttered to himself.

"I wouldn't if I were you…"

Altansarnai looked up, a shadowy figure walking up to him, pulling the hockey stick out of the concrete. His eyes were widened, at the person in front of him. "Y-You're…! No… you're not him… you only look like him….who are you?!" Altansarnai demanded, staring at the flannel dressed man.

"That's not important…. What is, however…" The man pointed to Altansarnai's furs. "What you are wearing…. I hate poachers, or people associated with them. Are you a poacher, or someone associated with them?" He growled. Altansarnai stared at him, wondering what he meant by that. "These are only traditional garments from my home. That is all." Altansarnai said with a slight growl. That was enough for the man to hear.

He ran up to him, hockey stick drawn back, eyes filled with rage. Altansarnai quickly pulled a halberd from behind his back, defending himself just in time. He got a good look into his attacker's eyes. They were filled with hatred and rage. "You killed animals for a sick fashion sense…. That I cannot forgive!"

When the explosions ceased, Yong Soo sat up, holding Aisyah's head close to his chest in case of another attack. Aisyah held up her hands to his chest, trying to look around as well. She gasped, seeing wood and metal scattered everywhere, most of the squads dead from the explosion or from the materials impacting them in a fatal matter.

"Aisyah, are you alright?" Yong Soo asked, looking her in the eye. She looked up at him, confused. "Y-Yeah…" She nodded.

"Yong Soo! Aisyah!"

They heard screams, and they looked up, Kiku, Lei, Li Ann, and Zamrud running up to them when the danger was clear. "Guys!" Yong Soo yelled, still holding Aisyah. "Are you two okay?!" Zamrud called. "Yeah we're fine!" Yong Soo called back, standing up with Aisyah in his arms

"What happened here?!" Kiku asked, hand clutched to his katana as he looked around. "Chain reaction explosion… Almost everything is destroyed…" Aisyah explained through pants. Kiku tsked, then looking at Lei. "Lei and Zamrud! Tell Yao-nii-san what happened, and get the vans from docks one and two to the emergency warehouse! Li Ann, call for backup! Yong Soo, Zamrud, and I will try look for survivors!"

Everyone scattered, Li Ann running towards the ship, Zamrud running to docking bay one, and Lei to docking bay two, while the others tried to search for survivors of the blast.

Li Ann ran as fast as she could to the ship, panting and praying that everyone would be okay. As she turned the corner, she gasped as she was greeted by a man with red hair, sporting a dark brown jacket with sunglasses, and carrying a bat with nails. He gave a smirk, flicking his sunglasses up, his red eyes staring into Li Ann's soul.

"Sorry hon, can't let you do that. My bro's got to settle a grudge, and he'd kill himself if he hurt a pretty and cute face like yours…" He smirked, walking up to her casually and stroked her cheek. Li Ann stood there, frozen, not knowing what to think. Her mind raced with a million questions, shaking up. It couldn't be them…. She knew them from her childhood days, they would never do something like this. "I on the other hand…."

He suddenly grabbed her by the throat and held her up in the air. Li Ann gasped sharply, holding her hands to his, trying to breath. She gagged and gasped, gritting her teeth. "Am not like my brother. Shame I have to kill you…." He smiled evilly. "P-Please… Al…!" She gasped, feeling her trachea getting crushed by his grip. "Hah? You're begging? Pathetic…" He smiled, holding up his nail bat behind his back. Li Ann watched with squinted eyes, then closed them, preparing for the pain.

"Stop."

A voice called out, calmly. "How can you hurt a young girl with her life ahead of her?" The voice continued. "Aw come on, let me have this one!" She heard her attacker whine. She opened one eye with a grit, seeing a man in a flannel shirt behind him, carrying a bloody fur coat, looking just like her attacker minus the hair colour. Her eye opened further, praying that coat wasn't what she thought it was…

"Tsk. Fine." He growled, tossing her to the side. "Gah!" Li Ann yelled, rolling on the concrete. When she stopped rolling, she pushed herself up, coughing violently, her long black hair covering her face.

"Anyway, our duty here is done. Let's go." The man in the flannel shirt sighed and threw his coat near Li Ann, his brother tsking as he followed. Li Ann held her throat, watching the two leave, then looked at the coat. She pushed herself up, her body shaking as she did.

"W-Wait…" She said in a hoarse voice, but it was enough for the brothers to hear her. They turned around, watching her wobble on her two feet, then looked at them with blood dripping down her face. "Who are...?" She gagged, her breath only coming in through a slither. The twins looked at each other, then the red haired man looked at her with a toothy smirk. "As if we'd tell you bitch. If you want to know, find out yourselves."

The two began to walk away again, until they were out of her sight. She then heard a huge explosion, this time from the ship. She gasped, and ran to the ship, picking up the bloodstained coat on the way. As she reached closer and closer to the ship, she felt an immense heat. She turned the corner and stopped at the sight, dropping the coat.

The ship was on fire. Her mind blanked, blocking out any noise of screaming or crashing. Her vision hazed a bit, before looking down, seeing Altansarnai lying in a bloody heap. She tried to yell out, but either her voice was out, or her ears wouldn't register her yells.

She ran as fast as she could, not even thinking. She didn't care that her mind was fuzzing in and out. She didn't care that she couldn't breathe. All she knew was to get him out of there. She slid by his side, shaking him. His eyes almost looked dead, his body still seeping blood. Another explosion happened on the ship, a few crates and shredded metals flying off the ship. She had to get out of there! She picked Altansarnai and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, her petite body trying to get them out of there as fast as possible.

Suddenly the ship exploded, forcing Li Ann and Altansarnai to fly forward. Li Ann screamed, feeling the heat burn her back. Both of them skidded on the floor, Li Ann hitting her head, causing her head to bleed. Her vision came in and out of conscious. The last thing she saw was a fuzzy vision of Kiku and Yong Soo panicking, trying to yell something at her, tears falling from their eyes. She could feel their tears splash on her cheeks, as everything faded out.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Xiānshēng (先生) = Sir

Xiǎojiě (小姐)= Miss

Tidak = No

Erkhem ee = Sir


	11. Fireball

Alžběta sipped her tea, her back straight and poised. She set her tea down, her cup clattering a bit on contact. She sighed, placing the tea on the coffee table in front of her and looked up, folding her hands over her crossed legs. "So, Otec Rycholko…" She began, looking at the man sitting across her. "Can you please tell your men to withdraw their weapons from me? It's a bit rude." She requested.

She looked around the lounge room, eyeing all the men pointing their handguns, machine guns, snipers, and rifles at her. She mentally sighed, as this was clearly overboard just to kill one person. The man chorkled, putting a fat cigar in his mouth. "Nothing personal, but your boss pulled out of our arrangement between our two families. Someone has to pay." He said, leaning over and tapping the cigar over the ashtray.

Alžběta sighed, leaning over to pick up a biscuit. She lightly munched on it, clearly not giving a damn about the threat that was happening right now. "I am fully aware of how most mafia families work. But you must be stupid to think you can kill me and get away with it. Unless you have a secret weapon or something." She said, swallowing the crumbly treat. Rycholko smirked, leaning back. "Nothing is expected less of you Miss Zahradnik. I admit, it is stupid to attack a member of Russia's most powerful family, not to mention the whole of East Europe." He admitted, leaning his head back, to look at the ceiling. "But the truth is, The Snezhnyye Ubiytsy had surpassed The Sovetskiy Soyuz Family long ago. And when we kill you, we're going to send your head to Ivan, then we're going to get rid of him with this."

He held up three small chips, small enough to see, but easy to miss if you weren't looking for it. "Very interesting. What is it Otec Rycholko?" Alžběta asked, leaning forward. "This, my dear, is a bomb. Although small, it's capable of exploding anything within a five hundred meter radius. Amazing technology, is it not? When we send your body back to Ivan, we're going to plant this in your body, and blow him to smithereens." He said with a slight smirk. He tossed the little devices up, and caught them all with the swipe of his hand.

"With your little family out of the way, we will become East Europe's most powerful family. It's almost a shame you have to die. Nothing personal love, but you are the dying guinea pig in this arrangement." He said, giving himself a triumphant smirk, his goons chuckling with him. Alžběta finished her biscuit, looking at the man in charge of this mafia. "So, I'm taking this as a threat…" Alžběta muttered sarcastically. "But, through our agreement, your family wouldn't be hurt if this deal didn't happen, so I'm assuming this is just an excuse to push us out of the picture?" She asked with a smug face as she leaned forward, forearms resting on her now man spread legs.

"Hehe. Again, your reputation excels. Yes, you are right. We wanted to push your family out of the way for a while, we just needed an excuse. And this is the excuse." He admitted. "I see… well, I must say, we were looking forward to working with you, but clearly Ivan was right." She sighed, standing up. As she did, she heard the guns aiming at her cock and load, ready for the first strike. "He really hoped you could have stayed, but with that final confession… we'll have to clean up the trash." She sighed.

Rycholko's head began to reel. Was she actually serious about taking them all on by herself? The very thought of it made him laugh! But then again, he had heard stories about the members of this family, all of them ending in victory for them. But still, he had the upper hand. He smirked, knowing he won.

"You think you, little girl, can take on all of us?" He laughed. "Yes." She simply replied. Rycholko's face screwed in anger, and snapped his fingers. On cue, all the guns began to fire. Gunpowder filled the spell of the room, smoke and orange flashes were all that anyone could see.

Rycholko's face smirked, and held his hand up to signal them to stop. The goons pulled back their weapons, guns rattling as they pulled back. They waited for everything to die down, making sure that she was dead. As the air cleared, everyone in the room gasped.

OST Suggestion: Psycho-Pass Main Theme (Psycho-Pass)

Alžběta stood there, her left hand in a fist, her watch glowing a sky blue. Her eyes were closed, clothing not even dirty from the attack.

She opened her eyes, her golden orbs filled with an intent to kill. "I must admit, Otec Rycholko. Your bomb development is impressive, but it is far from the technology we hold. So this is what's going to happen… you will hand over your blueprints, and I will leave. If you don't… well… I'm sure you've heard the stories of our family…" She said darkly.

Rycholko tsked, about to give another order to shoot her, but Alžběta already beat him to it. She reached behind her back and pulled out tonfa blasters with blades on the sides. Her watch's light flickered off, a light blue forcefield flicking out as she straightened her arms and fired. Red hot lazers shot out, one by one the goons screaming in pain as they fell to the ground. Some goons tried to attack her from behind, but the Czechian woman retaliated by slitting their throats as they tried to go one on one with her.

Suddenly, a bullet zoomed past her face from above. She tsked and rolled under the table for cover. She peaked a bit, trying to pinpoint where the shooter was. She rolled out from under the table, a barrage of bullets falling from above. She ran to the chair on the other side, kicking it over for cover. She looked up again, noticing a gun barrel in the air vent, aiming at her direction. She dived out, both guns aiming at that spot. She heard a muffled scream of pain as the sniper fell out of the ceiling and onto the table below.

A goon finally managed to grab her from behind, holding her neck in an attempt to either strangle her or snap her neck. She struggled for a bit, finally elbowing him in the nose. The goon stumbled back as Alžběta sliced him in half from top to bottom, blood staining her face. Another tried to stab her from behind, but Alžběta sharply turned to him, stabbing him in the eye. He screamed in pain, Alžběta twisting her blade and pulled out, the goon falling down. She looked around with a pant, blood dripping from her weapons and her face. She turned her attention to a closet, untouched of violence.

She gave a violent huff, walking to the door violently opening the doors. Inside was the cowering boss, screaming when he saw her, putting his hands in front of his face in self defense. She grabbed his wrist, and pulled him out violently. "Nyet! Please!" He begged, as she turned him around, a blade to his throat and arm trapped in her grasp.

"The blueprints for the bomb. Where are they?!" She demanded. "I'd rather die than give them to Ivan!" He seethed. "That can be arranged.." she sneered as the blade pressed against his throat, slightly cutting him.

"Alžběta."

A voice came through her hidden earpiece, disguised as an earring. "We found the blueprints. We have no use for him now." Alžběta nodded, and sliced the man's throat with no hesitation. He kneeled, holding his bleeding neck, gasping for air. Alžběta reached for her earring, pressing a button. "Roger that Yekaterina." She cut off her communicator, and squatted down to the squirming man. "It's incredible. A few minutes ago you were boasting about how you would take down our family, when you couldn't even get past me. So how would you go up against the entire family?"

"Gah...guah…!"

She sighed, reaching up to turn her microphone off completely, as she leaned into his ear. "The sad thing is, I want our family to disappear one day. But if it involves killing my friends and I, I will end you…" She dug into his pockets, pulling the three bombs and the detonator, examining them with curiosity. Each one were numbered, the detonator having a knob to change the bomb. "I think I want to see how powerful they are myself…" She muttered as she turned on her communicator again, and stood up. She aimed her tonfa blaster at his head at blank point, and pulled the trigger with no hesitation.

"It's done." She reported.

"Well done Alžběta, big sister Yekaterina." Ivan's voice smiled through, like a sick twisted snakes. "Such a shame, I thought we could use him… no matter, we got something from him in the end. Return back immediately." He ordered.

"Yes sir." Both girls nodded, as Ivan cut out of the conversation. "I'll be at the car. Make sure everything is ready."

"Yes, I know. I'll be there in ten minutes." Alžběta sighed, and cut off from the conversation. Alžběta looked around the room one more time, the smell of blood and iron filling her nostrils. She picked up one of the chips and tossed it onto the deceased man. She walked away, her high heels clicking as she walk.

"Alžběta, glad to see you're alright." Yekaterina smiled, her partner walking out of the building, wiping her face of the blood with a pure white cloth. "Course I'd be." Alžběta smiled, dropping the handkerchief at the door. "Ready to go?" Alžběta asked. "Yes." Her partner smiled, both of them getting into the car, driving away from the abandoned building. Alžběta waited till they were out of range till she pulled out the detonator and turned the knob to the bomb left inside and stared at the button to set it off. A part of her saying she shouldn't.

Yekaterina looked at her, then at the device. "You know Ivan wants to see this." She muttered. Alžběta looked at her, then sighed looking back at the device. The car stopped as the girls got out, a perfect view of the building in the woods. Yekaterina pressed her left earring, a small beep coming from the device. Alžběta looked at Yekaterina, who gave her a nod. Alžběta sighed, looking at the device. She pressed the button with no hesitation.

The building erupted in flames, glass breaking, rubble flying everywhere. Alžběta and Yekaterina had to protect their faces from the heat. What was left was a burning mess in the middle of nowhere. "That is very powerful for a tiny chip…" Yekaterina muttered. "Well, we have the footage, the blueprints, and gotten rid of them. We better get going." She continued, Alžběta nodding.

The two sat in silence as the car drove through Moscow. Alžběta watched them carry on their lives, smiling, talking, oblivious to the world that she was a part of. Well, maybe not oblivious, but not knowing who she was, or where this car was going. It made her laugh a bit, Yekaterina looking at her with a tilted head. "Is something funny Alžběta?" She asked. "It's just…. Everyone here has a life…. But we pass by each person, each car, each life, just like blimps… and yet we all go on like we're the last people alive…. It's just…. Funny that way…." She smiled, almost with a sad look. Yekaterina looked at her, then looked down at her lap. "It's just life I guess…" She muttered.

As the car turned the corner to a one way street, the car was greeted with a line of cars, honking at each other, and people crowding the streets and buildings were gasping and pointing at something in front of them in the road. "What happened? Is it an accident?" Alžběta muttered, moving her body to try see what was going on in front of them. The girls tried to see what was going on, then looked at each other with a tsk. "Maybe we should take another route…" Alžběta suggested, looking around, but a car was already blocking behind them. She tsked, muttering a curse word as she folded her arms. A police man walked by the car, Yekaterina winding down the window.

"Excuse me, chto sluchilos' na doroge?" She asked in her old language. "Ah, proizoshel fatal'nyy sboy, doroga zablokirovana." The officer replied, pointing to the direction everyone was looking. "Oh… kak dolgo doroga budet ochishchena?" She asked. "E-e… Okolo pyati chasov." The officer replied. "W-What?!" Yekaterina gasped. "What? What is it?" Her partner asked. "There's been a crash, and it won't be cleared for another five hours." Yekaterina repeated.

"What?! O-Officer we have to get back home as soon as possible! Is there any way we can get out of this?" Alžběta asked, leaning over. "Sorry miss, there's no way out. You'll have to wait." The officer replied, before moving on. Alžběta groaned, leaning back in the seat. "Guess there's no helping it… I'll call the Ivan, tell him what happened…" She sighed, pulling out her flip phone, a few numbers beeping as she pressed the key pad.

As Yekaterina placed her phone near her ear, Alžběta drowned the conversation, deep in thought. Something felt off about this…

"Well Ivan said not to worry, nothing we can do." Yekaterina smiled, putting the phone down. "Hm…." Alžběta hummed. "Is something wrong Alžběta?" The platinum blond asked, tilting her head. "Why are the police letting people spectate this? Usually the police would keep everyone away for safety reasons and to keep investigations swift and clean…" She told her Ukrainian comrade. "Maybe it happened a couple of minutes ago, and the police haven't had the chance to block everyone off yet…" Yekaterina suggested.

"Perhaps… I'm going to see what's ahead." Alžběta decided, opening the car door and speed walking towards the scene. "W-Wait! Alžběta!" Yekaterina yelled, reaching out for her as she left. "Stay here!" She ordered the driver, getting out herself. She ran up to Alžběta, speed walking next to her. "Alžběta, what are you doing?!" She asked. "Call it intuition or whatever, but I feel like it's not an accident…" She muttered, reaching the front.

There stood a black jeep, dented and and flipped on its head, about six other cars crashed into its sides, the smell of gasoline filling the air. "I need all spectators back!" Someone called out, pushing the spectators away. "See, it's an actual crash. We better get back to the car." Yekaterina said, pulling Alžběta's arm. Alžběta, however, wasn't satisfied. She stared at the car pile with squinted eyes, drowning out all noises.

Tick…

Tick…

Tick…

Tick…

Alžběta gasped, and ran towards the closest police man, grabbing his megaphone. "Hey, that's police property!" The man yelled, trying to grab her. "Everyone! There's a bomb in the cars! Run away as fast as you can!" She yelled through the megaphone. As soon as she warned everyone, an explosion rang from the car pile, everyone screamed, ducking for cover. Most people ran, the people watching from the buildings jumping back. She suddenly heard Yekaterina scream, turning around watching her friend fly to the ground.

"Yekaterina!" She screamed, running to her side. He held her head up, noticing her mouth bleeding, her eyes just flickering. "What….?" She looked down, and gasped, noticing several kurani knives plunged into her chest, stomach, arms, and legs. "A-Alžběta... Run…" She stuttered. "Eh?" Alžběta stuttered. Yekaterina weakly pointed at the fire, Alžběta following her finger. She gasped, seeing two figures walk out of the flames.

"One down, one to go…." She heard on of the men mutter. As they fully emerged, Alžběta's eyes widened in horror. "T-They're…." She muttered. The man with scars on his arm and cheek pulled out a detonator and pressed the button. As he did, the buildings around the block exploded in flames, rubble flying at a bullet's speed. Alžběta screamed, using her body to shield her superior. She could hear the screams of the citizens and people in the buildings. She looked around to the buildings on fires, tears in her eyes.

"Save us!"

"Mama! Papa! Where are you?!"

"It burns it burns!"

She gritted her teeth, turning to the men in front of her and stood up. "What happened to you two?! Why are you both doing this?! Are you trying to start another mafia war?!" She yelled, believing that the men in front of her the same as the ones she knew and fought against before. "Shut up you bitch. We don't answer to you." The black, clean cut, haired man said with a cold face.

"Well, you are going to pay for hurting my comrade! And if I die, Ivan will come for you for killing us and his people!" She growled, drawing her weapons and aiming them at the men. "Leave now, before you make this worse!" She demanded.

The violet eyed blond, readied his knuckle braces, and the short haired black man readied his purple hilted katana. But before Alžběta could shoot, she felt several stinging sharp sensation all over her back. Usually that wouldn't faze her, but her body froze in place, feeling her limbs in pain. Then it hit her….

"Poisoned…."

She couldn't breathe, and fell forward as the poison took hold of her body, feeling her organs slowly shutting down. "D-Damn it…!" She gritted, blood drooling from her mouth. Her vision began to haze, blotches of black clouding her eyes. She could hear someone talking, but it was so hazy, she couldn't pick it up, but the accent sounded Italian.

Tears fell from her eyes, and it all went black.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chto sluchilos' na doroge? (Что случилось на дороге?) = What happened up the road?

Proizoshel fatal'nyy sboy, doroga zablokirovana. (Произошел фатальный сбой, дорога заблокирована)= There was a fatal crash, the road's blocked off.

Kak dolgo doroga budet ochishchena? (Как долго, пока дорога не будет очищена) = How long until the road is cleared?

E-e… Okolo pyati chasov (Ээ...Около пяти часов) = Uh, about five hours.


	12. Familiar Shadows

America was celebrating the return of their favourite businessman playboy's return from Australia. The paparazzi went nuts, a wave of flashing lights immensely going off as the door to the jet opened. There stood Alfred F. Jones in all his heroic glory, soaking in all the fame. "HELLO NEW YORK! YOUR HERO HAS RETURNED!" He proclaimed, before laughing that obnoxious laugh.

His co-workers behind him just stood there blandly, pretty much used to this kind of behaviour. Alfred walked down the stairs, waving at all the photographers and reporters, even giving a few fingerbangs and winks to some of the cute female reporters. He stopped halfway, posing and waving for the magazines and newspapers, even taking some interviews for the local news stations.

"His ego knows no bounds…." Mattie muttered. "You're telling me…." Will sighed, stepping off the plane, Christian and Matthew following behind, leaving Ricardo to park the jet in the hanger. They ignored the shouts and photos towards them, focusing on Alfred. As they walked past, Matthew casually grabbed his ear, dragging him away from all the reporters.

"Ow ow ow ow ow ow ow! Mattie, I was talking to the cute reporter!" Alfred whined as the four went towards the cars. "You really need to get your priorities straight you know that?" Matthew sighed, basically throwing him into the back of the car, William taking the passengers side, Christian taking the driver's seat.

"Ah, sorry about cutting your interviews with my brother short. If you wish to have a full interview with him, please call Jones Pty. and we will arrange an interview with him. Thank you." Matthew smiled and bowed, sliding in the back next to his brother as the reporters went nuts, trying to get in any last minute questions or pictures as the car drove away.

"Blimey, why is it everytime we land back in America there's a crowd of cameras and reporters…." Christian sighed, turning a corner and out the gate onto the main road. "I can't help it if I'm popular." Alfred said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Yeah, maybe I should say that the Great and Powerful Alfred got scared by a spider and swooped by magpies!" Christian shot back. "Hey! That was a big spider! And those pecks hurt!" Alfred defended. "Yeah yeah…" Christian sighed, turning off the main road.

"Anyway, let's see what's new in the world…" The Kiwi muttered, tapping his watch and a holographic screen appearing in front of his face. He then gasped, hand over his mouth. "What is it bro?" Christian asked, eyes balancing between the road and his little brother.

"B-Breaking news…. Two explosions happened at the same time on the same day…. In Beijing and Moscow…" He read. This nearly made Christian stop the car, Alfred and Matthew gasping. "W-What…?" Was all that Matthew could mutter. "Will, what else does the paper say?" Alfred asked, leaning forward.

"The Cities of Beijing and Moscow have been targeted in a mass bombing. Among the injured in Moscow are Alžběta Zahradnik and Yekaterina Smirnov, both notorious members of the The Sovetskiy Soyuz Family, both fatally stabbed and poisoned. In China, two severely injured were Altansarnai Ankhbayar, and….." Will stopped talking. His hand covered his mouth, not believing what he saw. "Will….?" Matthew asked, not sure if he wanted to hear this.

"...Li Ann Chen…"

That made Christian stop the car. He turned to his brother, eyes widened. "Li Ann?! OUR little sister Li Ann?!" He growled. William slowly nodded his head. Matthew put his hand to his mouth, about to cry. Alfred pulled him in for a hug, he too shocked at this news. "Christian, get us to the mansion as soon as possible! We've got to tell the others!" Alfred demanded. "Yes sir!" Christian growled, shifting the cars gears, and sped down the road.

William still kept reading, another article capturing his attention. "Hey, Kiku's house got attacked as well!" He informed. "What?!" Everyone exclaimed. "And they found Mei and Heracles unconscious…!" Will gasped. "W-Why would someone do that….?" Matthew whispered, his mind still reeling from this information. "Maybe someone wants to start another war…" Christian gritted, violently turning another corner. "Let's just get back to the mansion as soon as possible. I have a bad feeling about this…." Will muttered.

It wasn't long until they reached a beautiful white mansion in a secluded area on Rhode Island. Christian parked at the front of the large oak double doors, and immediately put the car in park and turned off the engine, he and the others running towards the door. Alfred immediately opened the door, his security team not even having the time to welcome him back from his mission.

"Report. Now." Alfred demanded, walking up the stairs into where the bedrooms and studies would be, his brothers following behind. "U-Um, I don't know if want to know sir-" One of the guards stuttered, following behind them. "REPORT!" Alfred demanded again. "W-Well members from fo… three different families were attacked-" He started. Everyone stopped, looking at the guard. "You were about to say four weren't you?" Christian asked. The guard stayed silent, looking down. "Who else was attacked…?" Will asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer. "I think it's best if I show you sir…." The guard muttered, taking the lead. Everyone followed the guard, until they stopped outside a bedroom door.

"W-Why are we outside Carlos's room?" Matthew asked. The guard looked down, stepping away from the door. The four looked at the door, Alfred opening it. Inside, Carlos laid in his bed, bandages wrapped around his arms and chest, bags hanging from under his eyes.

Beside him, Michelle kneeling by his bed, hands clasped in prayer, and Roshaun leaning on the wall, watching them both. Once the door opened, they both instantly faced the door in shock, Michelle standing up. "A-Alfred…" She stuttered, her eyes began to tear up, running towards Alfred and gave him a tight hug. "I'm so sorry Alfred!" She cried, Alfred trying to soothe her.

"He looks terrible, what happened…?" William gasped, everyone entering the room. "He finished delivering files, when he got attacked. Alinaswe examined him earlier, said he was poisoned with poison tipped bullets. Some of the women in the alleyways heard the shot and found his attacker still beating him up while he was on the ground dying. They chased him away but his injuries were to great. But we gave him an antidote, so he should be okay… He just needs rest…" Roshaun sighed, looking at Carlos.

"And the attacker?" Christian asked. Michelle and Roshaun looked at each other, then back to the four. "We don't know…. We tried to get the security footage, but no one wants to give it to us…" Michelle said, looking down. "But the women found this after he ran." Roshaun interrupted, giving Alfred a dark red cap.

Alfred took it after putting gloves on, examining the hat. He then saw a faint line on the cap. Quite easy to miss. Something had been sewed on there before. Alfred squinted, and realised the faint lines weren't lines. They were characters….

Chinese characters.

He cursed, throwing the hat on the ground. "Woah there mate! What is it?" Christian asked, trying to calm him down. "That hat is bloody Yao's!" Alfred screamed furiously, pointing at the hat. "W-What? But I don't recall him ever wearing a hat like that…" Matthew muttered. "And take a look at this, the fabric is extremely old and worn out, meaning he'd have to wear it for a long time." William said, picking up the hat and examining it.

"But there's Chinese characters on it! That means it HAS to be Yao's! That damn second rate commie!" Alfred exclaimed, Mattie trying to calm him down. "But there's been an increase in Chinese gangs in New York lately… maybe it was one of them…" Roshaun muttered, hooking his pointing finger on his chin, thumb supporting the bottom. "But if that were the case, Carlos would have defeated them with ease. The only person who could defeat him is Yao." The Canadian said. "See?! Even Mattie agrees with me!" Alfred yelled. Christian sighed, picking up the hat with his gloved hand. "Give this a DNA scan, see if it matches with Yao's." He demanded the guard.

"Yes sir." The guard nodded, leaving with the cap. "But how did he know about us? Our family is a secret business... Not even Arthur or Antonio knows about us…. Only our brothers and sisters…." Mattie muttered, looking down. "Do you think they….?" Roshaun asked, Christian shaking his head. "They said they wouldn't tell the other families. They know this family is a safe haven for them in case they feel threatened. I don't think they would say…." He confirmed.

Everyone stayed silent for a bit, trying to comprehend what was going on. "...We know about Li Ann and the others as well…" She muttered. Everyone looked at Michelle, then at each other, not sure how to tackle this.

She clenched her fists, beginning to cry. "Who's doing this? Li Ann didn't deserve that… She's our little sister…! I can't imagine her getting hurt like this!" She cried. "Hey now, it's okay love…" Christian soothed, kneeling down and giving her a hug. "We'll find out who did this…." He promised.

Michelle nodded, feeling a bit better. "Hey, how about we leave him rest. I'm sure he needs it…" Matthew suggested, turning to the door. "Yeah…" Michelle nodded, standing up. "I'll cook some dinner for us as well…" Will muttered, closing the door behind him.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Kiku and Yong Soo waited outside the medical suite. Kiku was obviously worried, sitting in the hall with his legs apart, knees propped up, elbows resting on his knees, and forehead resting on his intertwined palms. Yong Soo leaned next to the door, looking much calmer than Kiku, but inside, he was extremely worried. Yong Soo looked down, giving Kiku a worried look.

"Hey, don't sweat it. Namgyal is taking care of them now. I'm sure he can help them." Yong Soo said with a smile. Kiku looked up at Yong Soo, then looked back on the corridor floor with a sigh. "I know, but I feel like we failed them…. You, Lei, and I…. we've always been regarded as the strongest in The Lóng Shé Family, and yet, two of our members were injured on our watch, and Mei and Heracles were injured on my property…. It feels like it's my fault…" He muttered, burying his head in his arms.

"Hey, all of them are still alive. We should be thankful for that right? And we should be grateful that Heracles brought Mei back before anything else could happen…" Yong Soo smiled, kneeling down and putting an arm around Kiku. "Hai, that is true…" Kiku agreed. "Hey." An Indonesian accent greeted them. Kiku and Yong Soo looked up, seeing Zamrud and Aisyah walk up to them. "Has Nangyal left yet?" Aisyah asked, looking at the door. "Ani, ajig…" Yong Soo sighed, shaking his head. "I just hope Li Ann and the others are okay…." Zamrud muttered, looking down. "Don't worry, they will be da~ze!" Yong Soo smiled.

The door suddenly slid open, Kiku and Yong Soo instantly standing up. A bald man dressed in white robes and holding a golden staff came through, softly closing the door behind him. "Namgyal-san! How are they?" Kiku asked, his voice filled with concern. "Ah, hello Kiku…" The Tibetan priest bowed. "They are all right. Heracles is watching them for me, the others are resting. Though their injuries are quite severe… but they'll survive. They just need to rest." Namgyal said in a soft and warm manner.

"Can we see them now?" Zamrud asked. "Of course. Just stay be sure to stay quiet. Heracles is awake so you can talk to him. Speaking of which, Sadik will be here soon. Make sure they get their rest alright? Now I must attend the injured from the docks." Namgyal informed them, walking past the four with his free hand holding beads to his chest in half a prayer, chanting a sutra as he walked away, his staff jingling as he walked.

The four looked at each other, before giving a shrug and stepping towards the door. Kiku gave a knock, announcing their entrance. He opened the door, Heracles already looking in their direction. His arm was in a sling, bandages around his head, his face was also patched up with band-aids and pads. "Heracles-san! Yokatta! You're alright!" Kiku sighed, rushing over to his good friend, kneeling next to him. "Ah, Kiku…. geia sas…" Heracles greeted tiredly. "Thank you for protecting Mei…" Kiku thanked, looking at Mei, who was lying in the bed, unconscious. "Fysiká. She's an ally after all…." Heracles shrugged.

Kiku nodded, looking at the other three in the bed. They were all as if in a deep slumber. Zamrud sat by Li Ann's bed, holding her hand while she slept, while Aisyah sat between Li Ann and Altansarnai, holding both their hands. Lei walked in , greeting everyone with a nod. "Lei…" Yong Soo muttered. "How are they doing?" He asked, taking a seat besides Mei's bed. "Still resting…" Zamrud muttered. Lei just hummed, looking down at Mei.

"Heracles, who did this to you?" Kiku asked. Everyone looked at Heracles, their eyes begging him to tell them everything. "I...I don't know… it looked like them…. But it wasn't…" He muttered. "Looked like who?" Aisyah asked.

"...Arthur and Ivan…"  
_________________________________________________________________________________________________

Ani, ajig (아니, 아직) = No, not yet

Yokatta (よかった) = Thank goodness

Geia sas (γεια σας) = Hello

Fysiká (Φυσικά) = Of course


	13. Flamenco and Waltz

"Che this is stupid! Why do we have to support tomato bastard and his stupid brother?!" Lovino spat, taking a seat and folding his arms. "Ve, everyone may know who we are, but no one knows about our top notched assassins! We have to support their passion! And besides, what's wrong with having a side job?" Feliciano beamed, putting his hand up with gusto. "Oui it is important to support their…. Erotic dance…" Francis snarked, toying with a rose in hand.

"But shouldn't we guard the mansion or something?!" Lovi whispered harshly. "That's why I left Časlov in charge while we're gone! I asked him to come with us, but he decided to volunteer to stay behind to look after the mansion. It's also a shame Vlad had to go back to Romania and Bella and Victor left for their mission a few days ago." Feli sighed, looking at the stage in front of them. "Such a shame…. Those two have been practicing for weeks and they can't witness it…." Francis sighed. "Don't worry I'm recording it for them, they can watch it later." Monica smiled, holding up a camera.

The lights suddenly went off with a heavy open stage lit up two solo lights, illuminating the two brothers on stage in position. Both of them wore black shirts exposing their bare rippled chest. Their shirts and pants were laced with golden weaves, Antonio having each arm in the air holding a castanet and facing forward, João's hands on his hips pushing his chest forward, away from his brother and facing the other way. The Spaniard's hair was messy and rugged, framing his flawless face and emerald eyes, his Portuguese counterpart tied his hair in a low ponytail with a glossy black ribbon, only his fringe and loose frames of hair untouched, adding to his mysterious look.

Then the music began.

OST Suggestion: Spanish Folk Song ( watch?v=4G8v7Kl2qI4)

Antonio stamped his foot, a large clack echoing through the dance hall. His fingers clacked slowly, the snap of the castanet clicking with his movements his wrists rolling as he clicked. His brother slowly moving with the music and the beats of the castanets. Their feet matched in perfect time of the music, the sharpness of the turns, the clack of the heel, it was breathtaking.

The spanish guitar and percussion played faster, the brothers' movements becoming more sharp and intense. Droplets of sweat flicking off their faces, glinting in the harsh light. The looks that they gave to each other reflected everything that a tango and flamenco should be.

Passion….

Intensity….

Fire….

Desire….

Everyone watched in awe, their performance becoming something of another world. Their colleagues couldn't draw their eyes away from these professional assassins. They were the top hitmen for a reason….

The music became faster and faster and faster. The brothers began their climax of the dance. Jumping, sharp and quick movements, the castanets clicking at an intense beat. The brothers came closer and closer together, and when they met in the middle, they grabbed each other's shirts and gave a long hatred stare at each other's eyes.

The music stopped, the hall silent….

"Bravo! Magnifico!" Feliciano cheered, standing up and applauding them. The whole auditorium followed his lead and stood up cheering. The brothers let go and walked to different parts or the stage, bowing and giving kisses to the audience.

"C'est magnifique!" Francis cried, blowing kisses to them as the brothers continued bowing and accepted two bouquets by the stage managers. "That was definitely something." Monica smiled, clapping.

The brothers thanked them before giving a final wave and disappeared behind the curtains.

"Ve that was incredible!" Feli beamed, hugging the two brothers as they emerged from backstage. "Gracias Feli! Though I think it could have gone better if someone didn't jump a bar early!" Antonio gritted as he smiled, looking at João. "Hey, I jumped on the measure perfectly! And no one noticed right, it's bom!" João 'pleasantly' hissed back. "Ooohoho bueno was it?!" Antonio hissed through his smile.

"W-We didn't notice it's fine!" Feli scrambled, trying to calm the two down. "Right reggazi?" Everyone snapped out of watching them grumble, and forced smiles on their faces as they ran up to them, hugging them, patting their hands on their backs and waving their hands all over the place, smiling and talked over each other, trying to get the two to stop the growling before it began.

"A-Anyway! What about we all go out for some caffè e gelato to celebrate?" Feli suggested, turning to his peers. "Sorry Feliciano. Monica's going to help me find a nice suit for my date tonight." Francis winked. "But you all have fun~!" He winked as he and Monica left. "And we have an interview with a Dance Magazine in half an hour. We have to get ready for that." Antonio apologised. "Ve… Okay…" Feliciano pouted. "Ah! We can do it tomorrow so don't be upset okay?" João smiled, giving Feli a wave as he and his brother went inside the dressing room to get ready.

Feli pouted a little more, before turning around with a goofy yet pleading smile.

"Ve…. Fratello…?"

"Forget it." Lovino yelled, as he began to leave. "Ehhhh?! Come on fratello it'll be fun! And we don't get to hang out like this often!" Feliciano pleaded, hugging his brother by the waist. "Get off me idiota!" Lovi gritted, pushing his little brother's face away. "Pleeaaase fratello?" Feliciano pleaded. "Che! Fine! Only this one time!" Lovi snapped. "Yay!" Feliciano clapped and let go of his brother as he lead the way. "Che… stupido…" Lovi muttered to himself as he followed his brother.

"Ahhhh mph!" Feliciano chomped down on his chocolate gelato while Lovi sat across him, sipping his coffee. "Delicious!" Feli sighed, hand to his cheek. Lovino just huffed, putting his cup down. "You know Feli…." He started. Feliciano looked up at his brother as he took another bite out of his ice cream.

"I've looked at the time, and I'm worried…" He began. "Why?" Feli asked, tilting his head. "Bella and Victor should have given contacted us and told us the result of the mission by now… but we got nothing….." Lovi muttered, putting his hands together and put his mouth against his intertwined fingers.

"Ve…. That is quite worrisome…" Feliciano admitted, putting his spoon down. "Hey, you don't think something happen… did it?" Feli asked, looking at his brother with worried eyes. "I hope not…" Lovino muttered, picking up his coffee cup and taking another sip.

"FELICIANO!" A voice called from across the street. The brothers looked up, to see Vlad run up to them. "Vladimir…?" Feliciano muttered in confusion. Vlad ran up to them and slammed his hands on the table, causing a few eyes to look at them. Vlad panted, trying to swallow some saliva to parch his throat. He began to waver, his legs couldn't support him anymore as he fell. "Vlad what's wrong?!" Feliciano gasped, jumping up and catching him in time. He held his head up, as he softened his fall.

Vlad panted, squinting at Feliciano. "A-Aurel…" He panted, before he lost consciousness. "Oi, Vlad!" Lovino gasped, kneeling down by his side. "W-Water! Someone hand me water!" Feli called out, the waiter immediately handing him a glass. "Vlad, drink this please!" Feliciano begged, holding the glass to his mouth. But the water kept flowing out of his mouth. "Vlad please drink!" Feli begged again. "Damn it move over!" Lovi pushed his brother out of the way as he grabbed the glass of water and poured it into his own mouth. He leaned over Vlad, pressing his lips against the Romanian's and forcefully pushed the water down his throat.

"L-Lovi what if it's going down the wrong pipe?!" Feli gasped, trying to make him stop. "Then he'll wake up and will drink the water normally!" Lovi yelled, taking in the water and forcing it down Vlad's throat once more. This time, Vlad woke up with a violent cough. "Vlad!" Feliciano smiled, holding his head up higher as he smiled.

"Here! Drink this!" Lovi offered the rest of the water, tipping the glass into his mouth, which Vlad drank down. He broke away from the glass, gasping for air and he coughed. "Vlad, what happened?" Feli asked one more time. "A-Aurel was-"

BANG BANG BANG!

Everyone jumped at the sudden noise, beginning to scream and panic. The Feli and Lovi immediately looked up, seeing a tall man with a blue and white scarf holding a gun at them. "Shit! It's Govert!" Lovino gritted. "Everyone take cover!" Feli ordered, as the citizens and onlookers began to scatter.

OST Suggestion: Good For Nothing (Bungou Stray Dogs)

Govert began to shoot again, Feli and Lovino knocking tables over to give themself a barrier. Lovino tsked, pulling a gun from his coat, and kneeling up to get some shots in. Govert barrel rolled to a nearby pot plant, using it as a barrier. "Lovino! Try hold him off! I'm going to try get Vlad somewhere safe!" Feli ordered. "No need to tell me twice!" Lovino gritted, pulling out a grenade and pulled the pin with his teeth. He threw the grenade over, as it hit the floor, a bright light emitted from the bomb. Govert protected his eyes from the light by closing them, crossing his arms in front of his face.

"Feli go now!" Lovi ordered, Feliciano nodded, picking up Vlad to take him inside the cafe, Lovino leaping over the table. When the light subsided, Govert was greeted with a black gloved fist to the face. Govert dropped his gun out of surprise and stumbled back, wiping his mouth. Lovino removed his shoulder coat, taking a fighting position. Govert gritted, taking a fighting stance as well. Lovino made the first move, running at him at light speed.

His first move was a high kick, Govert blocking him with ease. Govert kept blocking as Lovino kept attacking. Govert jumped back, flicking his wrists out. As he did, chains with blades at the end shot out of his wrist, swiftly cutting Lovino on the cheek. Blood spluttered from his cheek, Lovino gritting as the blood flowed down the cut. Lovino tucked his hands in his nife holdong suspenders and flicked out several sharp knives. Govert blocked them by making his chains push the knives out of the way.

Govert flicked his right wrist, letting his chain fly towards the Southern Italian. Lovino held up his left forearm, letting the chain wrap around his arm and grabbed the end of the blade before it could strike him. Lovino pulled the chain down, and pulled out a gun with his right hand, firing at the Dutch man. Govert moved swiftly to the right, letting the bullets fly past his face. When the bullets went past, Govert swung his left hand down, the blade flying down with the chain. Lovino brought his free hand up into an upper block, knocking the blade away with the barrel. He then grabbed the chain before Govert had the chance to attack again or retract his weapon.

He ran towards Govert, and kneed him in the face, still holding onto the chains to keep him connected. Govert stomped his foot, a hidden blade coming out of the tip of his shoe. He gave a swipe at Lovino, just scratching his other cheek. Lovino did the same, exposing his hidden shoe blade and attempting to kick him back.

But before Lovino could strike his face, Govert flicked his wrist a little more exposing a hidden gun. Lovino gasped and froze his kick, freezing the battle. "You son of a bitch…." Lovino gritted, keeping the blade to Govert's face. "I should be calling you that…" Govert gritted back.

But before anyone could make the first killing blow, a gun cocking could be heard behind Govert. "Put your weapon down Govert, p-please don't make us kill you…." He heard a whimpering behind him. He was about to strike the other Italian, until he heard another gun cock in front of him.

He looked back in front of him, Lovino holding a gun barrel to his face with dark eyes under his hat. "You better have a Goddamn good explanation to why you attacked us in the city in broad daylight…" Lovino hissed. "Oh I do. You were the ones who were harboring Victor and Bella!" Govert said with a slight frown, not bothering to put away his chains or his hidden gun.

Lovino and Feliciano's eyes widened in worry and anger, holding their guns stronger and higher. "What did you do to them?!" Lovino demanded. "I should ask you that! Victor is back with Gottes Boten but Bella is gone, and I know you have her! You brainwashed her to stay with you!" Govert gritted back. "B-Brainwashing?! What are you talking about?! Those two came by their own accord!" Lovino yelled back. "And Bella isn't here, we swear!" Feliciano gasped. "She better not be! My brother and sister would never betray the family or I. Yet there they were with your playboy family!" Govert sneered. "I keep telling you, they came on their own accord! We never forced them to join!" Lovino yelled again. "Liars!" Govert yelled back.

"GOVERT!"

Everyone heard a strict militaristic voice echo through the Italian streets. The Italian twins froze, slowly creacking their necks to the direction of the voice. And there stood a strict blond man dressed in a black suit, behind him two black car.

"P-Potato bastard…." Lovino stuttered, Feliciano's mouth hanging open. "L-Ludwig…" He stuttered. "Why are you attacking our enemy WITHOUT my consent or knowledge?" Ludwig asked Govert, trying to compose himself. "Ludwig, they're responsible for-"

"I know what they're responsible for Govert. But if I recall correctly, all attacks are to be approved my me. And I'm sure you haven't told me about this." Ludwig said with a bit of a grit. Govert just stayed silent, and began to relax putting his weapons down. "Head back to the mansion. We'll talk about this incident later." Ludwig commanded.

Govert looked between the twins, who still held their weapons in his face, then completely relaxed. He retracted his chain weapons back into his sleeves and began to walk away. He got into one of the black cars, as it drove away to the Germanic's mansion. Ludwig kept his eyes on the twins. Lovino looked at him with anger and caution, as Feliciano looked down with regret and sadness.

"Ehi, dobbiamo andare, abbiamo un membro ferito con noi …" Lovino whispered furiously through his teeth. "Va bene, ho contattato Francis e Monica, sono con lui ora…" Feli whispered back.

As soon as the car drove off, Ludwig focused his attention to the twins. "L-Ludwig I-" Feliciano began. Ludwig instantly shot ice daggers at him, Feliciano shut up and backed down with his head down. "Idiot brother! You're the leader of the Ordo Equitum Solis! Don't back down in front of this potato bastard!" His brother scolded. "B-But Ludwig's my friend…." Feliciano cried. "Idiota! He's our rival family! He is NOT our friend!" Lovi yelled, pointing at Ludwig. "B-But he still is to me..." Feli whined.

Ludwig's eyes went wider, the two brothers yipping and backing down. He sighed, putting a hand in his jacket's inner pocket. "I'm going to ask you this once." He said coldly. "Why did you decide to steal our files?" He asked, then pulled out a gun on them. Feliciano and Lovino gasped, pulling their guns on him.

Feliciano's eyes began to tear. He didn't want to shoot Ludwig. "It's none of your business potato bastard!" Lovi hissed. "Apparently it is since it's our files! Now why did you steal our…. I can't believe I'm saying this… magic files?!" Ludwig demanded. "Oh look at that, you just asked the question again~!" Lovino smudged. "You want to die?!" Ludwig yelled, pointing the gun at Lovino.

"Ve? L-Ludwig… did you say… magic files…?" Feliciano repeated. "It's what you stole from our computers isn't it?!" Ludwig yelled, pointing the gun at Feliciano. "Ve?! W-We didn't take that I swear please don't shoot me!" Feliciano begged. "And besides, even if we did we wouldn't leave it open for you to find out potato bastard!" Lovino gritted, still pointing his gun at the German.

"S-Si that is true! W-We only took your plans on the-"

"Feliciano!"

"Ve?! W-We didn't take anything!"

"Plans on what?! Why did you break into our warehouse?! We know it was a distraction so you could take something! And our files state that the magic files and personal information were the only files taken! Not to mention you have your own alchemist Vladimir on your side!" Ludwig sneered. "L-Ludwig we didn't take those files!" Feliciano stuttered, his gun shaking in his hands. "Then if it wasn't you WHO?!" Ludwig demanded.

"TY KURVA!"

Ludwig turned around with a hum, as the voice came from behind him. As he did, he felt a punch to his face, everyone slightly gasping. "Isn't that Matúš from the The Sovetskiy Soyuz Family?! What is he doing?!" Feliciano gasped to himself. Ludwig's face was forced to the side, the strike slowly turning red. His steal eyes then flicked towards his attacker, making the boy shiver and gasp.

Ludwig grabbed him by the throat and holding him up. "Vhat ze hell vere you thinking you little scheisse?!" Ludwig growled. "I should be asking you that, ty nešťastník!" The Slovak boy spat in fury, trying to squirm free. "Vhat vas zhat?" Ludwig gritted, tightening his grip. "Y-You attacked my Alžběta and Yekaterina….! We're not going to let you win…!" He gritted. "Ludwig! Let him go! You could start another mafia war if you kill him!" Feliciano yelled. Ludwig's eyes widened, and dropped the Slavic boy. Matúš gasped and coughed, holding his throat.

"There there, take it easy…. We'll get you back to the mansion..." Francis soothed, he and Monica slowly supporting him out. "Y-Yeah, thanks…" Vlad muttered. Monica took a quick look at the battle field and tisked. "Oh no it's Ludwig! We've got to get out of here quickly…" She gritted, trying to speed up to the car. "W-What?" Vlad stuttered, turning his eyes to the fight. His world slowed down, noticing a familiar face rise in front of Ludwig. "T-That's…." He whispered.

He softley slid out of Francis's and Monica's support, walking towards the fight. "Vlad! Where are you going?! We got to get you to the mansion!" Francis hissed, trying to grab Vlad, but just missed his wrist. "You kidnapped him..." He muttered, beginning to run.

"YOU KIDNAPPED HIM!" He yelled, tackling the Slovakian to the ground. "Vlad?!" Feliciano gasped. Lovino finally put away his gun, pulling Vlad off of Matúš. "THEY HAVE HIM! THEY HAVE AUREL!" Vlad yelled in fury. "W-What? Aurel?!" Feliciano repeated. Vlad struggled out of Lovino's grip, grabbing Matúš by the collar. "Where is he Matúš?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO FRATELE MEU MIC?!" Matúš looked at Vlad in the eye, almost about to cry, but forced his mouth shut.

"I don't know what you're talking about…" He simply replied. Vlad's eyes snapped, raising his fists and began to beat him in the face, pushing both of them to the ground. "YOU BASTARDS! YOU PROMISED ME THIS WOULDN'T HAPPEN! YOU PROMISED ME THAT YOU'D KEEP IVAN AWAY FROM AUREL!" He screamed, punching him again and again.

His fellow mafia family members and Ludwig stood in shock and horror as they watched Vlad continuously punch him. Vlad finally sat up, pinning Matúš's legs with his body weight, and held a gun to his forehead. "TELL ME WHERE MY BROTHER IS OR I'LL BLOW YOUR BRAINS OUT!" Vlad demanded. "Vlad!" Feliciano yelled. But before Matúš could reply, Vlad felt a sharp needle in his neck.

His vision went hazy, and he felt his body fall to the side, completely knocked out. "Mon dieu…. You ran all from Romania to here, you're in no condition to fight…" Francis sighed, putting away a syringe. Matúš sat up, watching the Romanian sleep. "Vhat ze hell is going on here?!" Ludwig demanded, looking between the Latin family members. "None of your business Allemand." Francis sighed, walking over to Matúš and handcuffing his wrists and ankles, telling Monica to call a car, tying him up with the spare chains he was carrying, muttering about questioning him.

"Vell, I know what is my business…." Ludwig pulled out the gun again, pointing it at Feliciano who gasped. Francis, Lovino, and Monica instantly pulled out their guns, aiming them at Ludwig. Matúš watched stunned. These two were there that day with Kiku attacking his comrades… why were they fighting like they always did?

"Zhose files? Vere are zey?"

"WAIT!"

A boy dressed in a green suit, stained with dirt, and filled with rips ran in front of his Ludwig's gun, hands outstretched. His face was scratched and bruised, looking like he could barely stand. His hair was lighter than Feliciano's and Lovino's, his curl having a more rectangular shape than theirs.

"S-Stephano?!" Feliciano gasped. What was he doing here?!

"It wasn't big brother! It was me!"

________________________________________________________________________________

Bom = Fine

Bueno = Good

Regazzi = Everyone

Ehi, dobbiamo andare, abbiamo un membro ferito con noi = Hey, we have to go, we have an injured member with us

Va bene, ho contattato Francis e Monica, sono con lui ora... = It's okay, I contacted Francis and Monica, they're with him now

Ty kuvra = You son of a bitch

Ty nešťastník = You motherfucker

Fratele meu mic= My little brother

Allemand = German


	14. Union

"Eh?!" Everyone gasped. "Y-You….?!" Ludwig growled, aiming his gun down at him. "S-Si… we wanted to be like other families, so we stole the file…. But we were wrong!" He began to cough violently, blood coming out of his mouth. "Fratellino!" Feliciano cried in horror, rushing to his brother's side as Stephano fell to his knees.

"They're coming…. They've already attacked four families…" He panted, looking at Ludwig in the eye. Matúš looked at Stephano, eyes widened. "W-Wait… who did they attack?!" Matúš asked. Stephen panted, his body aching. "They…. Attacked…" He suddenly went down with a thud. "FRATELLINO!" Feliciano gasped. "What's going on here….?" Francis muttered.

Feliciano looked at his former ally and stood up. "Ludwig…. I know you're angry, but my little brother is never one to lie…." Feliciano said. He then looked at Matúš, kneeling down to his level. "You said that some of your family members were attacked correct?" Feliciano asked. Matúš looked at the Father of the Latin family, then looked down. "Áno…" He nodded. "And they looked like Ludwig and I si?" Feliciano asked. "Áno. With Kiku as well…" Matúš muttered.

Feliciano looked at Ludwig, who looked back at him. "We haven't seen Kiku since the end of the second Mafia war…" Ludwig clarified. Matúš looked between the two, confused. "B-But the security footage showed you three there…." Matúš muttered. "Und vhere is this security footage?" Ludwig asked, folding his arms. "I-In Russia…" Matúš muttered. "...Is there anyone else who was attacked?" Ludwig asked. Matúš looked at them, then looked down. "Y-Yes… in the news…" He muttered. "He's right, look." Romano said, holding up his watch, projecting the news. There were dozens of breaking news articles, relating to three attacks, one in a Japanese suburb, and two mass bombings, one in Russia, the other in China.

There was silence, then Feliciano stood up again, turning his head to Francis and Monica. "Francis, Monica… when the car comes, take Vladimir and Stephano to the family doctor. Lovino, take Matúš to the interrogation room and see if you can get anything else out of him. Especially about Aurel." Feliciano ordered. "And what about you mon ami?" Francis asked.

Feliciano took a deep breath, then opened his eyes, his sunset coloured eyes filled with determination. "I'm calling The Union." He said. Everyone who heard became shocked, gasping at his words. "Woah woah woah Feli! Do you remember the last time we called one of those?! It nearly resulted in a third mafia war remember?!" Lovino hissed. "I know, but if what Stephano said is true, then this could be extremely serious. There are people out there who are impersonating everyone, possibly to start another mafia war." Feliciano reasoned.

Feliciano looked at Ludwig, his face still stoick, but he still had that look of surprise. "Ludwig, Eduard is an expert hacker right?" He asked. Ludwig nodded slowly. "Good. We'll need his skills to tell all the families." He said. "Hold on, I haven't agreed to this! I still don't trust you after what you did to me in the past!" Ludwig gritted. "I know…. You have a right to be mad… but this is a new threat. We have to join forces…." Feliciano said, extending his hand.

"...Fine, but because you called Union doesn't mean it'll prevent me from killing you if you betray me again. Let's go…." Ludwig said bitterly, walking towards the black car. Feliciano watched, putting his hand down. As they walked to the car, two other black cars pulled up, men running towards Feliciano. "Don't attack Matúš or Ludwig. I've called an order." Feli explained, the squad shocked, but nodded for their leader's decision. "Lovino, I'm leaving you in charge while I'm gone." Feliciano said, getting into the car with Ludwig, the car driving off.

Lovino watched the car drive off, then sighed. He turned to the squad, awaiting his directions. "Alright, you four, get Vladimir and Stephano to Časlov, and you two, take Matúš to the interrogation room. But don't hurt him as my brother has declared Union." Lovino commanded, everyone carrying out his order. He tsked, looking at the direction Feliciano and Ludwig drove off in.

"I hope he knows what he's doing…"

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Ivan sat next to his older sister as she rested. Her skin was still pale, and bags under her eyes, the same for Alžběta. Luckily Yekaterina carried antidotes with her, so it slowed down the poison process before someone came to rescue them.

"Ivan sir…" Elizabeta walked in, holding a clipboard, Aurel trailing behind and peeping through the door. Ivan looked up at Elizabeta, tired and strained. Elizabeta sighed, looking at the clipboard. "We ran some tests, and the poison should be out of their systems tomorrow morning." She said with a slight smile. Ivan looked at them then stood up. He looked around the room, before kicking over a table. "Chert!" He swore, the items clattering. Both Elizabeta and Aurel jumped, the latter ducking behind the door.

"How could I let this happen?!" He roared, Aurel could hear Eliza stuttering for an answer. "D-Don't worry sir, we'll find out what happened!" She stuttered. "You better…" Ivan said with a slight growl. "I had no idea that they were on the move again…. But we must treat this with diplomacy…. Speaking of which, where is Matúš? He said he would be back from Rome. I hope he didn't do anything rash. If so I'll have to punish him when he gets back." Ivan said with some grit in his childlike voice.

"Don't worry sir, I'm sure there's a reason…" Elizabeta said. "The Gottes and the Ordo I can see, but…. Why would the Lóng Shé Family attack? After all, Yao is a great commerad to us." Ivan sighed. Aurel curled up as he still listened to the conversation.

"But still, I will have meeting with them… and if things do not go my way…. We will declare war on all of them." Aurel was horrified and rushed into the room. "No! No you can't!" Aurel jumped and screamed. "Aurel!" The Hungarian woman gasped, holding the little boy back to protect him.

Ivan looked at Aurel, letting him plead his case. "P-Please! Frate mai mic said he doesn't want to fight! Please don't!" Elizabeta tensed at that sentence, even Ivan slightly gripping his fists. "Elizabeta..." He stated very calmly. "Y-Yes sir?" Elizabeta stuttered. "Take him away. If he pulls another stunt like this, I will take action…" He said with a smile. Elizabeta nodded, and took Aurel to his room.

"E-Elizabeta?! Please! What happened?!" Elizabeta said nothing as she ushered him into the room. "Stay here okay?" She said with a smile and closed the door, a slight click following. Aurel tugged the door handle, but when it wouldn't budge, he banged on the door screaming. "Please don't attack frate mai mic!" He pleaded, banging on the door.

Hours passed, Aurel sitting on his bed. He was still crying, but not as much as before. A soft knock on the door came to Aurel's attention. He looked to the door as it slightly opened, Boris entering. "Hey Aurel…" He said smiling, closing the door behind him. "I brought you something to eat." He said with a soft smile, bring a tray of Matevž with a side of olivier salad. Aurel's stomach growled loudly when he saw the food, making him blush a little. Boris chuckled, placing the food on the table nearby. "I cooked all this myself. I hope it tastes alright." He smiled, walking back towards the door.

Aurel looked at the food, making his way over the tray, and started to eat. "I-It's good…" He muttered, taking another bite of the meat. Boris turned around, watching the young boy eat. He gave a soft smile to himself, about to leave until he heard the clatter of the fork and knife. He turned back around, seeing Aurel with his head down. "Aurel? Are you okay?" Boris asked, walking towards Aurel and kneeling down to rub his back.

Aurel looked at Boris, sniffling. "I-It's nothing…" He muttered in a lie. "Aurel." Boris said, a bit stern. Aurel winced a bit, looking down again. "I…. I want to go home…. Ivan said about attacking my brother's family and I-" Aurel began. "Woah woah woah where'd you get that idea from?" Boris asked. "I-I overheard him and Elizabeta talk about it and he said that if they don't resort this peacefully he'll declare war…." Aurel muttered.

Boris stared at him for a bit, then took a deep breath in. "Aurel, listen to me." He said, Aurel looking at him. "Unless Ivan calls you, do not engage with him or eavesdrop. Don't follow him, never question his methods, and never go against what he decides. He may seem like a child, but he is a very dangerous man. You saw how he treated Alžběta and Feliks the first time you came here. He will not hesitate to do the same to you." He warned.

Aurel was a little shaken by this warning, but he nodded. Boris sighed in relief, and stood up. He began to walk away, until Aurel stopped him. "Boris… is there something you and the others aren't telling me?" He asked. Boris stopped, thinking for a bit. He then turned around with a forced smile. "Don't worry about it. Just get some rest alright?" He said. Aurel blinked, noticing that that smile was the exact same smile his brother would show if he didn't want to answer something. And just like that, Boris left his room.

"Damn it…" Boris gritted, hand to his face and slid down the door. He began to cry, his mind flashing back to that day.

"Are you crazy?! You know if you fail, Ivan will not only kill you, but him and your people as well!"

"I can't stay here anymore Boris! If I do, he'll die here and my people will too!"

"Are you sure about this?"

"I have to try. He can't know about what happened here, he can never know this past... guys… please promise me something… I know Ivan will come after him. He'll do everything to make me come back. I'm going to protect him from him no matter what. But if Ivan gets to him, please protect him! Ivan will hurt him I just know it!"

"W-We…."

"Please! Promise me!"

"We promise…."

"Boris?" Boris looked up, Elizabeta looking down at him. He rubbed his eyes and cheeks of the tears and stood up. "Hey Eliza…." He said with a forced smile. "What are you doing outside Aurel's room?" She asked. Boris continued smiling, waving his hand in front of his face. "I-It's nothing…" He promised beginning to walk away.

"...You were thinking about that day weren't you?" She whispered. Boris's smile suddenly disappeared, stopping in his tracks, and he looked down at the floor. "We made a promise to him…. But it will be only a matter of time before he knows…" Boris said, turning to face Elizabeta. She stayed silent before walking to him and gave him a hug. "One day we'll get out of here… We'll live simple lives, and we'll forget everything that happened…" She whispered, Boris nodding as he hugged her back.

"Is that so?"

Both of them snapped up, looking down the hall. There stood Ivan's sister and his most loyal pawn toying with a knife… "N-Natalya…" Elizabeta gasped, pushing herself away from Boris. "I-It's not what you think!" Boris stuttered. "You know… big brother hates it when people leave the mafia… with big sister and Alžběta injured, big brother is very tense. You saw this yourself Elizabeta." Elizabeta tensed, looking down. "And you remember what happened last time when those three traitors left." Natalya hissed, pointing at them with her knife.

The two of them tensed from two things. First, from Natalya calling their friends traitors. They had no choice but to leave. They just wanted to find a better life. The second thing that made them tense was the intense… lesson everyone had to endure once they left. He wanted to make sure that no one would leave after they left. Sometimes they could still feel the sharp stings on their bodies when they bathed or when they passed by THAT room.

Natalya scoffed, knowing she got them where she wanted them. "So if you don't want to hurt him…" She pointed down at Aurel's room. "Or them…" She pointed to the other rooms where Feliks, Raivis, Toris, Matúš, and Alžběta slept. "I suggest you stay. Unless you want to be the cause of their pain…" She hissed again.

The two stayed there, unable to move. "Now if I hear talk of this again, I will report it to big brother. So I suggest you keep your mouths and minds clear of escaping…" She warned, then walked off.

Elizabeta gritted slightly, her hands grasping slightly. Boris looked at her, then softly placed his hands on her shoulder. "Hey, don't worry. It's been a long day. Let's get to bed okay?" He said with a smile. Elizabeta nodded, wiping a tear. "Igen…" Boris smiled, brushing a stray hair behind her ear. "I'll see you tomorrow. Leka nosht."

"Jó éjszakát."

____________________________________________________________________

Fratellino = Little brother

Áno= Yes

Chert = Damn it

Igen = Yeah

Leka nosht = Goodnight

Jó éjszakát = Goodnight


	15. Calling Card

Feliciano quickly scanned through the articles, a bit tense. He sighed, shutting down the articles, and looked at Ludwig who kept that same cold stare. Feliciano looked down, playing with his trousers. The car was filled with an intense aura, causing Feli to panic a bit. "S-So-" Feli began. "Halt die Klappe, Feliciano. The only reason vhy you're here is because you called ze Order. Otherwise I would have shot you by now." Ludwig barked. Feliciano shut up again, looking down.

Ludwig sighed and looked out the window, watching the hills roll as the car passed the Italian borders into Austria. His head didn't move, but his eyes turned to Feliciano, who looked like he wanted to say something, but was too afraid to. He gave another sigh, not saying another word. Only when they reached into Germany was when Ludwig spoke.

"I assume you still remember my house's etiquette and rules?" He asked, crossing his legs. "S-Si… don't touch anything that looks valuable, no pasta, pizza, or white flags, and no siestas…." Feliciano repeated, looking down with a pout. "Good. I'm surprised you remembered…" Ludwig said, his voice a bit shocked. "Ve well you're my best friend Ludwig! Of course I would remember!" Feliciano beamed, feeling happy that he was having a conversation with Ludwig. This gave Ludwig a little bit of a shock, then anger. "Ve are not friends. Not after vhat you did." Ludwig growled.

This made Feliciano freeze, the atmosphere going from a bit cheerful and hopeful back to cold and detached. The car pulled up to a mansion, painted in a pearly white with a blue roof. Many windows were sparkling clean, and the gardens were wide, green, and filled with trees, flowers, fountains, and bushes. Feliciano looked out the tinted window, memories flooding back. "Hasn't changed at all…." Feliciano muttered with a smile, Ludwig saying nothing.

The gate closed behind the car as it began its long drive around to the door. When the car stopped, Ludwig's personal guards came to greet him. But when Feliciano stepped out of the car, the guards instantly leaped in front of their boss, aiming their guns at Feliciano.

The Italian began to panic, pulling out a large white flag, crying truce. "Cease right now! Feliciano has called Order!" Ludwig barked. The guards looked at their boss, eyes widened. "T-The Union sir?" One of the guards gasped. "Yes, The Union. For now, Feliciano is our guest. Now, you. Tell all of our guards, and you, gather the Twelve and the Hjerter to an Emergency Meeting." Ludwig ordered the two guards. "B-But sir-" The bodyguards began to protest. "Are you questioning me?" Ludwig threatened, a dark gleam in his eye. "N-Nein sir!" The bodyguards saluted, both of them running off.

Feliciano stood there for a bit, his mind wandering with fear and timidness. "Let's go." Ludwig barked, Feliciano snapping back to reality and followed his former ally inside. Feliciano looked around the black and red halls, decorated with the occasional plant and painting placed here and there.

Things haven't changed at all here.

"Hey brohaus!" A raspy-like voice called out, Feliciano suddenly felt Ludwig push him behind his muscular body.

"So, your bodyguard told me zhat you called an emergency meeting. Vhat's zat all about?"

"You vill know vhen you get zhere Gilbert." Ludwig sighed. Feliciano peeked a little to the side. There he saw Gilbert, giving a bit of a pout, folding his arms. "Come on Ludwig, I'm your big brother and second in command in ze family. I should know!" Gilbert whined. "Gilbert, wait until everyone is gathered, and I'll explain from zhere. Understand?" Ludwig snapped. "Ugh, fiiiine…" Gilbert groaned, turning heel and walking away.

Feliciano emerged from behind Ludwig, watching Gilbert walk away. He gave a silent sigh, Ludwig turning towards Feliciano. "Let's keep going." Ludwig said staley, and kept on walking. "Ve, Ludwig, why did you push me behind you?" Feliciano asked, following behind Ludwig. "It vould be better for you to explain to everyone once zey are all gathered. Besides, mein bruder would panic if he saw you, at least zhere vill be others in ze room to calm him down." Ludwig explained blandly. "Ve….." Feliciano muttered.

The two reached a lavish waiting room, brightly lit by curtains were pulled back from the windows, a piano in the corner, two couches in the centre facing each other with a coffee table in the middle, flowers and fruits in the middle.

"You vait here until ze others have arrived." Ludwig said coldly, turning to leave. "Ludwig?" Feliciano muttered, making Ludwig stop in his tracks. "Do you think there's going to be a third mafia war….?" He asked. Ludwig turned around slightly, looking at a worried Feliciano. "If your hunch is correct, zhen nein. Zhere won't be one." He said, turning back around to leave. "And if I'm wrong?" Feli asked again. Ludwig had to think for a while, before he gave the answer. "I don't know." And with that, he left.

Feliciano looked around the room. The colour palette was the same as the halls outside. Black and red. He then eyed the piano, a force pulling him towards it. Maybe it was all those times at Roderich's house, hearing him play the piano for almost ten hours a day. Feliciano sat at the piano, his fingers subconsciously placing itself on the keys.

He closed his eyes and pressed his fingers to play a couple of chords. His hands suddenly moved quickly, a staccato yet smooth melody escaping from his fingertips. He smiled to himself as he continued to play, ignoring anyone who would pass by. His right hand continued to play in quick quavers, as his left hand kept the bass going with its deep sounding chords. If someone saw his face, you'd think he would have done this before or for a very long time, but in truth Feliciano was surprised that he could still play. He hadn't touch the piano since he was a child.

Roderich walked through the hallways looking very prim and proper, as usual. He carried some folders with him, thinking he might need them for the meeting. He suddenly stopped, hearing a sweet muffled melody coming from one of the rooms. He suddenly stopped, looking at the room where the music was coming from. "Is that…. Concerto Grosso No Four by Arcangelo Corelli….?" He gasped, stepping towards the door. He listened for a while, trying to think who would be in there, and who would be talented enough to play a concerto movement on a piano.

He hummed, looking at the door handle, placing a hand on it. But before he could open the door… "Young master!" Roderich jumped, and the piano suddenly stopped. "Gilbert, vhat do you want?" Roderich hissed. "Vait, zhat wasn't you playing ze piano?" Gilbert asked, pointing towards the door. "Vell I'm out here, obviously I'm not in zhere playing!" Roderich hissed once more. "Vait, zhen who…?" Both of them looked at the door, Roderich reaching out to open the door.

"Herr Gilbert! Herr Roderich!"

Roderich took his hand away from the handel, he and Gilbert looking to the side at a guard. "Vater Ludwig wants you in the meeting room now." He demanded. Roderich tsked. "Fine. Let's go Gilbert." Roderich said bitterly. "Hey! I'm your superior I should be telling you what to do!' Gilbert lectured, running after him.

Once they left, the guard opened the door. "Herr Feliciano." He called out. Feliciano ducked out of his hiding place from behind the armchair. "Si?" He whispered. "Herr Feliciano…. Why are you hiding behind the couch arm?" The guard asked. "O-Oh sorry I just got jumpy when I heard Roderich outside." Feliciano laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Anyway, the Germanic Twelve and the Hjerter are gathered. Vater Ludwig wants you down in the meeting room." He said, turning his body to the side to let Feliciano out. "S-Si…" He muttered, walking out. The guard closed the door, and gestured his hand to the side. "This way." He said, leading the way.

Feliciano followed the guard through the hallways, silent yet determined. The guard finally reached two grand doors, polished and varnished. Two guards stood sharp and saluted Feliciano when he stopped at the door, his bodyguard saluting back. "The Germanic Twelve and the Hjeter are behind this door. The Vater is not yet here, but he asked for me to take you here. Please wait here while I inform the Vater." He said, before walking away.

Felicano silently ve'd, before turning his head towards the door, hearing muffled mutters. That turned to muffled shouts. That turned into muffled bangs and crashes.

"That is IT! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, YOU BLOODY GIT!"

"TRY ME YA WEE BASTARD!"

"Vill you two stop it! You're bringing shame to ze family! Get off ze table!"

"Kesesese! Fight fight fight!"

"Don't encourage them!'

Feliciano stepped back, shaking a bit as the crashes, yelling and bangs kept on going. "Sorry to keep you vaiting." Ludwig sighed, walking up to the room. "Ve, Ludwig, I think they're fighting…" Feliciano said in a shaky voice, pointing towards the door. "Ah, happened again…" Ludwig sighed, stepping towards the door as the guards clicked their heels and saluted. "Stay behind me." Ludwig commanded, Feliciano nodding, stepping behind Ludwig.

"YOU ARE SO DEAD ALLISTOR!"

"You say it but you don't mean it~!" Allistor teased.

"My money says that Allistor will win." Gilbert laughed, placing ten euros in front of Abel who laughed and took the bet. Govert was in deep thought, his mind focusing on his little sister. His brother was safe, but after his sister fell off the cliff, she was nowhere to be seen, his squad still searching along the edges of the cliff. Why would she leap off a hundred meter cliff?

"Here you are big brother." Erika said, handing her brother a cup of tea as both of them were trying to ignore their family's stupid antics. "Thank you Erika." Vash said with a straight face. "Get down from ze table! Both of you!" Roderich ordered the brothers, who were still at each other's throats.

BANG!

"ZHAT IS ENOUGH!"

Everyone stopped what they were doing, looking at the door that had just burst open. There stood Ludwig, extremely unimpressed. "You two. OFF!" He barked at the Scottish and Englishman, who crawled off the table, back into their seats. Ludwig sighed, rubbing his temples with his thumb and forefinger as the doors closed behind him. "Now, danke for all of you coming. Before we get started, do not pull any weapons or question these actions." He started.

The family looked around at each other, wondering what Ludwig meant by that. Ludwig stepped to the side, and everyone's jaws dropped or their eyes widened. "Ve…. C-Ciao everyone…" Feliciano muttered, rubbing his hands together and looking down.

"Feliciano?!" Everyone exclaimed, standing up, hands on weapons. "Stand down!" Ludwig commanded. "Ludwig, vhy ze hell did you bring Feliciano here?!" Roderich demanded, pointing at his former foster child. "Vait, was zhat you who vas playing the piano earlier?!" Gilbert asked. "Ve~" Feliciano smiled, indicating a yes. "Oh mein Gott! You're so talented Feli! Come here it's been a while!" Gilbert beamed, running to him for a hug. "Gilbert get away from him!" Roderich exclaimed, pulling him away. "Now vhat is Feliciano doing here?!" Roderich asked again. "Yes, I would like to know as well. Ludwig, you're not planning to create another Axis Powers are you?" Arthur asked with poison in his voice, hand still on his flint locked gun.

"Nein. I learnt my lesson from zhat." Ludwig said. "It better be about my kline zus you kidnapper…." Govert hissed. "Ah yes, you still need to explain how two of our members ended up in your hands…" Patrick snarled. "All of us thought they were dead or captured, but they were with you…" His twin brother said with that same snarl.

"All of you quiet!" Ludwig barked, causing silence in the room. "As much as I vant to know ze reason why Bella and Victor were with ze Ordo Equitum, that isn't the reason vhy he is here." Ludwig said, moving to his seat. "Feliciano. Please tell zhem vhy you are here." He said, taking his seat, everyone else doing the same.

"Si. As you all probably know, there have been public attacks on three families, one on the 14th, the other two on the 15th." Feliciano began, typing with one hand on a holographic keyboard at the end of the table. Articles flickered in, everyone looking at the headlines.

'Mass Bombing In China and Russia.'

'Home in Japan destroyed, four dead, two critically injured."

'BREAKING NEWS: TWO MASS BOMBINGS IN TWO CITIES ON THE SAME DAY!'

"Ja, ve heard. To be completely honest, I had a feeling today's meeting would be about this." Roderich sighed. "So did I. I was just about to read one until Ludwig called the emergency meeting." Arthur admitted. Feliciano nodded, and continued, scanning through the victims profiles, bringing up their pictures as he talked about the atrocities.

"In Japan, Xiamen Mei and Heracles Karpusi, members of The Lóng Shé Family and The Arap Şövalyeleri Family respectively, were severely injured. In Russia, members of The Sovetskiy Soyuz Family Alžběta Zahradnik and Yekaterina Smirnov were also severely injured. The bombings in China were the most deadly. About fifty people were killed, and about ten casualties. Among them were Altansarnai Ankhbayar, The Lóng Shé Family's international operative and negotiator, and…." Feliciano looked at Arthur taking a sip of his tea, and took a deep breath. "Miss Li Ann Chen, an informant working under Altansarnai."

CRASH!

Everyone's head turned to Arthur, who had dropped his cup, causing the tea to spill. His eyes were widened, jaw open. "N-No…." He muttered. "F-Feliciano… this has to be a joke right… Li Ann… She's strong…. No way she can be..." He stuttered. His dear little sister Li Ann…. "Right Feliciano?!" Arthur yelled, his eyes nearly on the brink of tears. Feliciano stood silent for a while, then closed his eyes and shook his head. "I'm sorry Arthur, it's not a joke…" Feliciano said.

Arthur's head collapsed, head in his hands. His teeth gritted, grabbing his hair. His eyes were wide, tears forming in his eyes, too shocked to do anything. Allistor, Dylan, Semus, and Patrick's eyes were widened, they too were shocked. Li Ann was one their little sisters. Even though they weren't related by blood, she was still part of their family. There was silence for a while, before Dylan swallowed his dry throat, then broke the silence. "Is she….?" He asked, shakiness in his voice, not sure if he wanted to know the answer. "I…. I don't know….." Feliciano reported.

"Damn it! Who's responsible for this?!" Arthur yelled, looking at Feliciano. "That's the next point I wish to address." Feliciano said, typing on the keypad. The articles disappeared, as a hologram of Matúš's upper body appeared, slowly turning for the table to see. "Matúš Kováč, a member of the The Sovetskiy Soyuz Family, came to Italy a few hours ago, claiming that it was Ludwig, Kiku, and I who attacked Alžběta and Yekaterina." Feliciano said, crossing his arms.

"Vhat? Vait, but Ludwig, you and I were at the bar ze whole day vhen ze attack happened…" Gilbert exclaimed, looking at his little brother. "Exactly, I wasn't there vhen ze attack happened. Not to mention Kiku, Feliciano, and I haven't seen each other since…. Vell…" Ludwig coughed, clearing his throat.

"That brings me to why I am here." Feliciano said, turning off the hologram. "I believe there is someone out there who is impersonating us. Possibly to start another mafia war. That's why I have come here." Everyone looked at Feliciano, waiting for his answer.

"I have decided to call upon The Union."

Everyone gasped, few of the members standing up in shock. "Are you crazy?! Remember the last time that happened we called that?!" Patrick growled, both hands on the table as he stood up. "I know I know…. But the reason it nearly escalated into a war was because it was families and individuals against each other… But I have a feeling it will work this time. Because everyone will be united." Feliciano turned to Eduard, who was sitting there shocked.

"Eduard, you have some of the best hacking skills. I need it to contact the other families…Can you do that?" He asked. "H-Huh? Oh yes! It will take a while to get connections through, but I can do it…" He muttered looking down. Feliciano nodded, and looked back at Ludwig. "While I am here, I promise I won't go snooping around for secrets, as it is a condition of The Union while invoked. Along with attacking members of the Family..." Feliciano promised. Ludwig nodded, and looked at Eduard. "How long until it's ready?" He asked. "About two to five hours. Depending on how encrypted the protections on each systems are." Eduard informed, adjusting his glasses.

"Right, that settles it." Ludwig sighed, standing up. "Until Eduard hacks into their systems, Feliciano will stay here. And none of you are to lay a hand on Feliciano while he's here." He ordered. "What?! But what about Bella and Victor?" Abel demanded. "Yeah! I'm still not done with you from this morning about Bella and Victor…" Govert sneered, turning towards Feliciano who stayed silent for a while.

"...I think…. It's best of you ask them yourselves…" He muttered. "The reason why they didn't tell you was because they didn't want to hurt you. Speaking of which where are they? You said they were here right?" Feliciano asked.

"Did you listen this morning? Victor is resting, but Bella is still missing! That's why I came to Italy, to see if she was there!" Govert growled. "S-She hasn't come back yet…" Feliciano muttered. Everyone stayed silent, looking at each other. "Eduard, get the signal up as soon as possible. I have a feeling something's not right." Ludwig ordered, his face serious and determined. "Jah, härra!"

"Everyone else, try to gather as much information about these attacks! Find out who or what we're up against."

"Yes sir!" Everyone yelled, leaving to their posts.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Halt die Klappe = Shut up

Kline zus = Little Sister

Jah, härra = Yes sir


	16. Past Thoughts

Feliciano stood there as everyone left the room, giving him cold, untrusting eyes. Except one.

"Yo Feli!" Feliciano snapped back to the front, Gilbert standing in front of him with a smile. "C-Ciao Gilbert." Feli said with a forced smile. "It's been forever since I've seen you! How are you?" Gilbert beamed. "Ve, not to great…. I'm sure everyone here hates me…." Feliciano muttered, looking down. "Vell, can't blame zhem. Zhey zink you're ze reason Bella and Victor defected, plus you are ze head of a rival family. You may have called bluff for all we know. But it's you Feli, I know you wouldn't do zhis unless it's an emergency." Gilbert said, whacking Feliciano on the side of the arm.

Feliciano looked down, something weighing on his mind. Gilbert silently sighed, then put a hand on Feliciano's shoulder. "Hey, how bout I make you some Sachertorte? I stole some of Roddy's recipes so it should be good." Gilbert suggested with a smile. Feliciano's eyes lit up slightly. Even though Roderich could be cruel sometimes, his desserts were the best. Feliciano smiled and gave a nod, both of them heading towards the kitchen.

"Here you are." Gilbert smiled, cutting a piece of the cake and sliding a piece over to Feliciano. "Grazie…" Feliciano muttered, picking up his dessert fork. He cut the tip off, about to take a bite. "Hey Feli, can I ask you a question? It's been on my mind for avhile." Gilbert asked, mouth full of chocolate. Feli put the fork down slightly, looking at him in confusion. "S-Si...?" Feli asked.

"Vhy did you decide to side with us during the second mafia var? I mean, you don't seem like someone who'd do vhat ve did. You didn't fight, you tried to play peacekeeper sometimes. And then you just switched sides during the last days just like the last mafia var…. So vhy?" Gilbert asked.

Feliciano was shocked, then looked down, his fork clattering on the plate. "Well I…. I had a reason…. But the truth is…. I was looking for something…" He muttered. "Something?" Gilbert repeated, taking another bite. "Si…." Feliciano nodded. "Und vas Lovino looking for zhat same zhing?" Gilbert asked. "No, Fratello was concerned because he and I knew that we would pick the wrong side. What Ludwig did was monstrous, we both knew it. But I had to side with Ludwig, even though I knew from the start he was in the wrong." Feliciano explained, now toying with the piece on the fork. "...Vhat vere you looking for?" Gilbert asked. "...Something from my past." Feliciano simply said. Gilbert stayed silent, as Feliciano finally took a bite.

Feliciano's face suddenly went sour, looking at Gilbert with shocked eyes. "Vell vhat do you zhink?! Awesome like me right?" Gilbert smiled, pointing at himself with his thumb. "G-Gilbert, what did you put in here?" Feliciano asked after finally swallowing the piece. "Vell, I zhought zat Roderich's recipe vas boring, so I put beer and spiced rum into the batter! So much more awesome zhan Roderich's pussy assed flavours." Gilbert snickered, taking another bite. Feliciano could only ve, looking down at the plate going a bit blue. But at least it wasn't Arthur's horrible cooking.

With that in mind, Feliciano kept eating, his head feeling a bit dizzy in the head from the head from the alcohol. "G-Gilbert, how much rum and beer did you put in?" He asked. "A whole bottle of zhem." Gilbert said with a smile. "V-Ve…." Feliciano said with a bit of defeat. As he was about take another bite, the kitchen door burst open Feliciano and Gilbert jumping. There stood Roderich, a bit shocked to see both of them here.

"Vhat are you two doing here?" He asked with a snarl. He then looked at the messy Austrian chocolate cake Gilbert had finished baking. "Vhat is zhat?" He asked pointing at the sachertorte. "Is zhat some kind of joke?! Sachertorte is an Austrian delicacy! Not zhat mess!" He ranted, picking up the plate and walking towards the bin. "Oh and it reeks of alcohol! You have completely ruined sachertorte! Zhis is vhy I don't let you bake!" The Austrian man scolded, tossing the the cake in the bin with a heavy splat. "Hey, at least I can cook unlike some people in zhis house! And your recipes are boring anyway, I just spiced zhem up a bit." Gilbert snapped back.

Roderich ignored him, then turned to Feliciano, who was just sitting there watching. He almost smiled, as he was glad that there were some things that didn't change. Roderich was about to snarl an insult at him, but then stopped, seeing him sit with the cake in front of him.

"Don't eat too much. You'll get tooth cavities if you do. After tea, we're going back to your piano lesson."

"Okay Mr Edelstein… "

Roderich stared, before giving a violent sigh and picked up his plate, throwing it in the bin. He stared at Feliciano with daggers, then stormed out. Gilbert and Feliciano watched him, then turned back to each other. "Ve, Roderich was quiet… he always would threaten me but he did nothing…" Feliciano gasped. "Vell you did call Union." Gilbert reminded him. "But he did seem… shocked…" He noted. "A vell, I won't let his snobby attitude get us down. I'll bake us anozer cake! And hey, at least I don't suck like Arzer's cooking."

"Achoo!" Arthur sniffed, rubbing his nose. "Bloody hell, another sneeze…?" He muttered to himself, looking around with a sigh. Lukas just said nothing, focusing on his book. "Well, anything yet?" Arthur asked, flipping through a page of his book. "If I did I would have said something." Lukas muttered in a soft, monotone voice. Arthur grumbled, going back to the book in his hand.

"YO LUKAS!" Arthur jumped, looking at the entry to their alchemy lab. Lukas only looked up with annoyance. "Bloody hell Abel what do you want?!" Arthur screamed. "I was bored so I came to visit you guys!" Abel beamed, walking over to Lukas and slinking his arm over Lukas's shoulders. "So anyway, what are you guys doing?" He asked, trying to read whatever Lukas was reading. Lukas only stuck a pencil up his nose, not looking up from his book, causing the Dane great pain.

"You should be with Eduard trying to crack the firewalls." He said, pencil still up Abel's nose. "But I was booored!" Abel whined. "Lukas, get that pencil out of his nose, that's unsanitary." Arthur sighed. "Just a second..." Lukas pushed the pencil up a little more, hearing the Dane yelp a bit, then took the pencil out, Abel falling down.

"Ow ow ow ow ow…." Abel whined, holding his nose. "Don't disturb us." Lukas said. "Fine. But what are you guys doing anyway?" Abel asked one more time. "We're seeing if there's anything that can break the firewall, or another method of communicating with the other families." Arthur explained, turning another page. "Oh okay." Abel said, crossing his legs.

The two continued to work, Abel watching. Arthur sighed, turning another page. "...How are you taking all of this Arthur?" Abel asked. Arthur stopped mid turn, his eyes morphing into a sad and angry shape. "I….." He began, before the Norwegian kicked the Dane in the face. "Get out of here, we got work to do." He scolded. Abel whined, whimpered, and tried to argue his way into staying, but Lukas wasn't buying it, kicking him out without a second thought.

Once Abel left, the two stayed silent, Lukas still working, but Arthur staring in a blank space. Lukas looked up, looking at Arthur's disturbed face. He sighed, and snapped his fingers in front of him. "Arthur." He said, his English partner snapping out of it. "Come on, we need to find a solution." Lukas said. "O-Oh right…." Arthur muttered, going back to his work. Or at least he tried. His teeth gritted, his hands tightening on the book. He mentally slapped himself, trying to stay strong. But Li Ann in a critical condition… As her older adoptive brother he felt like he should have done something.

Lukas looked at him, then back to his book. "Don't worry, I'm sure she's fine." He sighed, turning a page. Arthur looked at him, a bit taken back. "But still, I feel like I should have done something… She's my little sister! I mean, what would you do if Emil got hurt?" Arthur asked. Lukas stopped for a bit, looking at Arthur.

"If he got hurt, I'd blame Abel." Lukas said with a straight face. "Cold…." Arthur muttered. He then sighed, picking up his book again. But Arthur could only wonder how the others took the news….

They're probably worried too….

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

William laid in his bed, toying with a silver phone in his hand. He wondered if he should contact them…. They were his brothers and sisters after all. He sighed, flipping his phone open. His thumbs pressed the pad furiously, a message on the small screen appearing.

Hey Lei, everyone heard what happened. Are Li Ann and Zamrud okay? Everyone here is worried…

Will switched to a black phone, only contacts of the family stored on it. He texted Chris, as he said he would talk to Gupta and Xander about the news.

Any word from Gupta or Xander?

His other phone buzzed, Will reaching for the phone. He flipped it open, a notification from Lei. He pressed the text icon, scrolling down to Lei's name and clicking on his message.

Hey Will. Yeah, Li Ann's still unconscious, but she's alive and stable. Zamrud's a little shaken from the attack, but she's uninjured. Just a few scratches. Don't worry, Namgyal's patched both of them up.

Will was still a bit worried, but at least both of them were resting. His other phone buzzed, Will switching phones, noticing a notification by Chris's name. He opened it, reading through his brother's text.

They said that they're fine, but they're shaken up by what happened to Heracles. They're about to have a meeting with Yao to discuss what their next course of action is gonna be.

Will took a worried sigh, writing out another text.

Do you think there's gonna be another mafia war?

Another buzz came from his other phone, Will swiftly picking it up and flipping it open. This time from Zamrud.

Hey Will, Lei told me you were concerned about Li Ann and I. We're both fine, but Li Ann is still resting… She hasn't woken up yet… We don't know what happened, but it just… happened so fast. But Heracles said something peculiar.

Will's eyes became confused when she sent him that.

What do you mean?

He texted back. His other phone buzzed, Will flipping it open, Chris responding to his text.

I….honestly don't know. I don't think so. But don't worry, no matter what happens we'll have each other's backs.

Will slightly smiled at his brother's words. The other phone buzzed, Will reaching for the phone opening the text from Zamrud. Suddenly his eyes opened in shock and fear. He gripped his phone and ran down the hall to Alfred's room, banging on his door.

"Alfred! Alfred get up!" He demanded, his fist and yells causing everyone to leave their rooms to find out what was going on. "Mon dieu Will, what are you doing? It's two in the morning…." (My God) Michelle yawned, rubbing her eyes. "Will what's going on, what happened?" Chris asked, putting a hand on his little brother's shoulder.

"Alfred get your lazy fat arse out here right now!" Will yelled still banging on the door. If Alfred wasn't awake, he sure was now. Everyone could hear a tumble and crash, followed by his footsteps thudding towards the door, and it opened aggressively. Alfred stood there annoyed, his hair in a mess, glasses crooked, wearing his hamburger PJ's.

"I am not fat!" He held up his shirt, showing everyone his well toned abs. "This is not fat!" He said, pointing at the six pack. "Oh my…" Michelle giggled, Matthew sighing in annoyance. "Anyway what is it? Why'd you wake all of us up?" Ricardo asked, rubbing his eyes. "Yeah, I was about to have a nice dream…" A dark skin man yawned. "Least you weren't dreaming Alinaswe." Roshaun hissed.

Will ignored them, only focusing on Alfred. "You know how you said it was Yao who attacked Carlos?" Everyone instantly shut up, looking at Will. "Well, Zamrud told me who attacked Heracles and Mei." Will showed Alfred the text, Alfred taking the phone and adjusting his glasses. His eyes widened, jaw dropped. "Alfred…?" Matt asked nervously. "Alfred…. Will…. Who attacked them…?" Christian asked with full seriousness.

Alfred looked at all of them, his eyes full of seriousness. "All of you, meeting room. Now!" He ordered, closing the door behind him. Everyone, except Will, looked at each other, confused. Will began to walk away to get changed, when a hand was placed on his shoulder stopping him. "Will, what was that all about, what's going on?" Chris asked, a bit concerned.

"It was Arthur and Ivan." He said. Everyone gasped, Michelle bringing her hands to her mouth, Chris's hands sliding off in complete shock. "W-What…?" Matthew gasped. "She said that Heracles claimed that he and Ivan were the ones who attacked them…" Will gritted, looking at Christian. "If that's true then…." He said, beginning to cry. "Will hey hey hey!" Chris said, holding his little brother's shoulders. "It won't come to that okay? I promise!" Chris said. Will gave a final sniff and nodded.

Chris nodded back, then looked back at the staring and shocked group. "Oi, quit staring and get changed." He ordered. Everyone jumped a bit, then scattered to their rooms. He turned towards Will, giving him a smile. "I'll see you down there. It will be alright okay? I promise." Chris smiled, before giving him a slight pat on the shoulder and retreating to his room.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Everyone sat around the room, wearing black suits and ties, Will and Christian wearing hats, Michelle wearing a black low cut dress complete with black ribbons in her hair. Alfred sat at the head, wearing his black business suit and black gloves. His fingers intertwined, mouth to his hands. He gave a sigh and sat back, his hands on the table and knocking on the table.

No one knew what to say or do. "Well-" Matt started, but that was enough for everyone to start talking.

"Why would Arthur do that?! He would never leave anyone in such a condition!"

"Why the hell would he be partnered with Ivan?!"

Everyone clamered over each other, confused as to what was going on. "Hey hey quiet!" Alfred ordered, everyone shutting up instantly. "Look, I'm just as confused as all of you are, but know that Arthur would never do something like this! He may have been strict with us, and he's with the Gottes Boten, but he knew the difference between from right and wrong! He worked with us together during the mafia wars!" Alfred argued.

"Do you think he'd know about what happened with Li Ann?" Michelle whispered. Everyone eyed Michelle, their mouths dropping. It was silent, before Roshaun spoke up. "Well…. Like what Alfred said, he may have been strict on us, but he would have never EVER lay a finger on us! No matter how much we screwed up he would never hit us!" He said, defending his former older brother.

"Then why would he-"

"I don't think he did it." Everyone looked at Matthew, confused. "He was kind to all of us. He wouldn't take the initiative in fights. Unless it was with Francis, but still, he would never start a fight. Alfred, even after you fought with him and left, he still didn't want to hurt you, no matter how angry and sad he was." He whispered. Everyone stayed silent, thinking. In all their memories of Arthur, he never did start a fight or take revenge.

Alfred sighed again, rubbing his hand through his hair. He agreed with them. Arthur would never do something like this. "Then that means there's someone out there that looks like him right?" He concluded. Everyone hummed, leaning back, then looked at Alfred.

"So then Alfred…. What do we do?" Ricardo asked. Alfred hummed, then whipped out a silver flip phone. Everyone looked at him, eyes widened. "We're really contacting him?" Matthew whispered. "Yep. He is our international operative. I'll make sure he knows what's going on." Alfred snapped the phone down and sighed.

"What about Li Ann, Lei, and Zamrud?" Will asked. Everyone stayed silent until Christian put up his hand. "May I make a suggestion?"


	17. For The Family

Sadik and Yao sat across each other, Xander and Gupta accompanying Sadik, and Lei accompanying Yao. Yao sipped his tea, slight slurps coming from his lips. He looked at Sadik, staring down at his cup. Yao gave a slight sigh, placing down his cup. "Sadik…. I would first like to thank you for coming on such short notice." Yao began, Sadik giving a nod. "Of course. Both Heracles and Mei fought to protect each other…. I'm just glad they're both alright." He nodded.

"Well, the mafia business isn't for the faint of heart. Many don't survive their first days, only the strongest and the manipulative can stay in this world." Yao agreed. Sadik nodded, and sighed. "As our families are allies, and members from both our families were attacked, we must discuss what our next protocol will be." He said, placing his hands together.

Gupta and Xander looked at each other, before looking at Lei who dodged his eyes between those two. Yao clicked his fingers, signalling for his assistant to leave, Sadik doing the same. The three left the room without another word, sliding the door

"So Lei-" Xander turned around, wanting to talk to his former brother. But when he turned, he was already gone. "H-Hey, where'd he go?" He a asked looking around. Gupta tapped Xander on the shoulder, then pointed down the hall, Lei walking away. "Hey Lei wait up!" Xander called, running after him and Gupta swiftly walking behind him. Lei, being the emotionless teen he was, just kept walking without turning around. "Lei where are you going?" Xander asked, trying to keep up with him. "Well I need to, like, talk to you two in private." He said, all three of them twisting through the halls until they reached Lei's room, Lei ushering them in before looking around and closing his door.

Gupta and Xander looked around the room, his room decorated with Chinese charms and ornaments. Shoots of bamboo were growing in the corner, the window frame in the shape of an octagon and square patterns acting as bars. His mattress was inside a beautifully carved wooden box, red curtains draped back since he wasn't sleeping. "Wow, not a single English thing in here…" Xander muttered, taking a seat at the table in the centre. "Yao doesn't like, approve of any English decorating. He's fine with Zamrud, Li Ann and I having Western ideals, but not things like decorations and food." Lei muttered, grabbing a pot of tea simmering in the corner.

Gupta sat down as well as Lei brought the cups and tea on the tray, placing the cups in front of his adoptive brothers and himself. "So…. how's life here?" Xander asked. Lei sighed as he sat on the floor cross legged. "Well… it was hard getting back into this family's culture, but it's better now." Lei admitted with a sip. "What about you two? Have things been different since you left Arthur?" Lei asked.

"No not really. Sadik was happy when we came back, and we just resumed life as normal." Xander smiled, taking a sip of the tea. "Speaking of Arthur-" Xander began, about to tell him about the letter, until Lei cut him off. "Yes, I do need to talk about him…" He said in a solemn tone. Gupta and Xander looked at each other, a bit confused.

"Is this about-" Xander asked, trying to bring up the letter again but got cut off by Lei nodding. "The attacks…." Now Gupta and Xander were extremely confused. "Wait, what does Arthur have to do with the attacks?" Xander asked. "Do either of you, like, remember him as… crazy?" Lei asked.

Xander looked at Gupta, who shook his head and shrugged, not knowing what Lei was getting at. Xander sighed, rubbing the back of his head for any memories. "Well if by crazy you mean delusional of his cooking skills, then yes, he's crazy." Xander joked, leaning back, hands supporting his weight.

But Lei wasn't laughing. He just stared into his cup. Xander immediately cleared his throat and sat back up. "N-No not really… I mean, he was really strict with us, but he never hurt us physically or emotionally… I mean, Matt said that Arthur used to be kinder to him and Neeraja, but after Alfred left, things just became… colder. But if that was the length of it, then I doubt he'd hit anyone back then too." Xander sighed, folding his arms.

Gupta pulled out a piece of paper and pen, madly scribbling down something before showing it to the other two. " _Lei, why do you ask? What does this have to do with Arthur?"_ Xander looked at Lei, his eyes burning the same question. Lei took a shallow breath, putting his cup on the table. "Heracles and Mei saw who attacked them…" He began, Xander's eyes widening. He prayed that this wasn't where this was going.

"He said it was Ivan and Arthur."

Gupta's eyes widened at that news, Xander's mind just….  _Refusing_  to accept that as the truth. "I don't know if that's true or not, but it's what he told us." Lei said, seeing the shock and rejection in their eyes. "N-No, Arthur would never do something like this! He would never attack anyone unless the opponent makes the first move! Hey, you guys didn't do anything to tick him or the Gottes off did you?" Xander asked, pointing a finger at Lei. "Not like, since the drug wars which was before the First Mafia War. And Arthur and Yao's already settled it years ago. What about you guys? Did you guys do anything to upset Arthur?" Xander and Gupta looked at each other, before looking back at Lei and shook their heads.

Lei hummed, then looked back at his drink as he took a sip. " _If none of our families did anything to upset Arthur or The Gottes, why would he attack us…?"_ Lei thought, taking a sip. Gupta grabbed his pen and notepad, and turning it around. " _Do you think The Kids will know?"_ Lei stopped drinking, and looked at Xander who looked back at him.

"I don't think so… Zamrud told Will what happened and he didn't reply after that. I think he told the others after that, so I don't think they knew…." Lei muttered. " _Do you think there'll be another war?_ " Gupta wrote, looking worried.

Xander and Lei looked at Gupta, not knowing what to say. Xander sighed, and scooted over next to him and gave him a hug. "Don't worry, we're not going into another war. We know better than that." He said with a soothing voice.

A knock on Lei's door made the three jump a bit. The door opened slightly, Zamrud peeping her head around the corner, her black plaited hair falling from behind her shoulder. "Hey." She said with a slight smile, entering the room. "Hey, Zamrud!" Xander and Gupta stood up, and gave her a hug. "How're you holding up?" Xander asked, rubbing her back as he gave her a hug.

"I'm okay." She smiled, hugging Gupta, who gave her a light pat back. "Hey, why are you in my room?" Lei asked, still straight faced. "Oh yes! They're awake!" Everyone looked around, shocked.

Altansarnai winced as he sat up with the help of Namgyal. "Ugh!" He gritted, holding his bandaged waist. "Take it easy Altansarnai..." Namgyal soothed, helping his back up against the pillow and bed rest. "Mmm…..!" Li Ann moaned, holding her head as she lied in her bed. Her head was pounding and her throat felt crushed. She couldn't speak, a breathing tube down her throat, and there was black and blue markings around her neck. Heracles was supporting her neck as Aisyah tried to help make the tube comfortable. Mei was just sitting up, her back against the bedhead. She was staring down at the sheets, her eyes just staring off.

The door to the medical room echoed knocked, Namgyal standing up once his patient was comfortable. He opened the door, five people standing there. "Oh my, so many visitors." Namgyal smiled. "Namgyal-san, we heard they're awake!" Kiku exclaimed, but softly so that the injured wouldn't get startled.

"Yes, they are." He smiled, then noticing Heracles's brothers. "Ah… Gupta and Xander correct?" He smiled, the two men nodding. "Well, come in, but please be quiet." He smiled, stepping to side. The five of them filed in, going towards their families.

"Heracles! Thank goodness you're alright!" Xander cried, giving him a tight hug. "Ow, Xander…" He winced slightly. "O-Oh sorry!" Xander gasped, letting him go. Gupta sat beside him, Heracles looking at him. He sighed, giving a slight smile and give him a hug with his free arm.

"Altansarnai! Li Ann!" Lei gasped, running between the beds and grasped both of their hands. "Lei..." Altansarnai gritted. "Ugh…." Li Ann grumbled. "Li Ann's trachea got crushed real bad… It's gonna be a while until she can talk again…." Aisyah sighed, rubbing Li Ann's other free hand. "And Altansarnai?" Lei asked, looking at him. Altansarnai smiled, grasping his hand tighter, and continued rubbing his wound. "Don't worry about me. I just got a deep cut on my waist. Nearly got my stomach stabbed…." He muttered, looking at his bandages. "I'm glad you guys are awake…." Lei sighed.

"Mei!" Kiku gasped, sitting by her side and touched her shoulder slightly. She slightly snapped out of her trance, her head turning to where Kiku was but didn't make eye contact. Kiku caught her eyes slightly, even though she didn't look directly into his eyes. They had lost their shine, almost like she was broken. He gasped slightly, as she turned her head back to its original position.

"What happened to her….?" Kiku gasped. "We don't know unfortunately… When we fought against…." Heracles paused, looking at his brothers, Lei, and Zamrud. "Them, Mei was beside me, then she was gone along with one of our attackers. When the other one thought he knocked me out, Mei suddenly fell in front of me, and then they were gone. But I managed to call for help and get us out of there…" Heracles muttered.

Kiku gave a soft smile, about to say something, until an explosion rocked everyone standing. Li Ann's eyes opened wide, as if in a panic. "What the-" Altansarnai gritted, before leaning forward when a sharp pain snapped through his abdomen. "Altansarnai!" Aisyah gasped, leaning over him. "What on earth happened?!" Xander gasped. "All of you, go on look out. Aisyah, Zamrud, stay here to protect the injured." Altansarnai ordered.

"What was that?!" Yong Soo exclaimed, running out onto the balcony and looked over Beijing. Tai, Neeraja, and Chen gasped, dropping everything in the kitchen and upstairs towards the balcony. Everyone scattered towards a place where they could see over the city. Smoke was rising from the city centre, everyone's mouths dropped. An orange glow could be seen reflecting from the buildings, and some buildings were on the grasp of being toppled over.

"No…." Yao gasped, falling to his knees. Sadik watched in horror as part of the city burned. "Yao-nii-san! What are your orders?!" Kiku called in. Yao was too shocked to do anything at first, before Lei called in as well. "Big brother Yao! What are your orders?!" Lei said with seriousness. Yong Soo then called in, asking what Yao wanted them to do. "Yao… Yao!" Sadik shouted, shaking his partner's shoulders.

Yao automatically snapped out of it looking at his watch, three of his adoptive brothers looking at him with stern eyes. Yao realised, he was the leader of one of the most feared Mafia families of the world! He had to protect the city and his childrens' cities no matter what. He took a deep breath and looked at them with determined eyes. "You three, take your squads and eliminate the threat!"

"Yes!" They all replied, before Yao switched to Lien. "Lien, go with Wong, Kiku, and Yong Soo with your squad! Give them back up if needed!" He ordered. "Vâng thưa ngài!" Lian responded, switching her communicator off. Yao switched to Namgyal, Zamrud and Aisyah, telling them to protect those in the medical suite. They confirmed his order, before switching to the remaining members. "Neeraja, Tai, Chen! Protect the base and report any odd activity!" He reported. "Yes sir!" They nodded, before Yao put his communicator down, watching the city.

Lei pressed a button on his watch, signalling for his squad to move. He then leaped on the balcony and leapt off, using trees and tall rocks as leverages and started running on the roofs. Soon, men dressed in black cheongsams followed suit.

"Gupta, Xander." Gupta and Xander instantly put their hands to their ears, Sadik's voice coming through. "Protect the base, Heracles is still injured and unless there is troubled we shouldn't get in the way." Xander and Gupta looked at each other and nodded. "On it." Xander nodded, he and Gupta running to the entrance to keep a lookout.

"Yao-" Sadik began, before Yao cut him off. "Don't worry. They'll make him pay. No one attacks us and gets away with it." Yao said with confidentiality. Sadik looked back up to the flaming buildings and tightened his grip, his knuckles turning white under his tan leather gloves.

"Because if it's a war they want…. Then it's a war they'll get."

* * *

Vâng thưa ngài = Yes sir


	18. Initial War, or Initial Peace?

Kiku ran on the rooftops, his squad leaping behind him. He looked to his left, Lei running up next to him with his squad, on his right, Yong Soo with his squad behind him. All three of them reaching to where the smoke and rubble were rising, screams of the people getting louder and louder.

Kiku hand signalled for Yong Soo to take the East side, and for Lei to take the West, while Kiku would advance forward. Both of them nodded, taking his orders and separated from him. Lien followed swiftly behind, clicking her tongue when they seperated. "Squad B, follow Lei! Squad C, follow Yong Soo! Squad A, with me!" She ordered. "Vâng thưa ba!" They responded in unison, splitting into the groups their leader assigned them too. "They have a lot of nerve attacking our territory…" Lien gritted, leaping over the buildings.

They all reached their destination, watching the carnage below. All of them couldn't say a word, shocked to the point that they couldn't talk. Kiku tsked, turning his communicator watch to his squad and his brothers. "I'm going in first! Don't act until I say so!" He ordered, leaping off the building.

A man with blond hair whistled as he twirled knives in his hands. The flames of the explosions heated his back, and sheathed his knives. He was like a model, wearing all the latest and most popular brands. Jimmy Choo black shoes, white Giovani Armani pants and jacket, a YSL silk scarf, a Channel belt, Louis Vuitton sunglasses, and a pink Calvin Klein limited edition t-shirt. He also wore an old fashioned camera around his neck, bouncing as he walked.

With him, a silver haired man with red eyes. He wore a black singlet with dark green cargo pants and military boots. He had a diagonal scar across his face, under his eyes. He leaned boredly against a bazooka, yawning slightly.

"Oh come on Klaus darling, don't look so bored~! Besides, our job isn't finished yet here~! Lighten up a bit~." The blond man smiled and caressed his partner's cheek. The man sighed, feeling his soft hand against him. "Geez Flavio… Thought you had eyes for Andres." Klaus grumbled, hitting his hand away. He scoffed, placing a fist on his hip. "I have eyes for everyone darling." He smiled, using his free hand to wave it around. "Now, let's move on to the next district-"

He looked up, as he noticed a shadow from above. He saw a black haired man drop down from above, a katana wielded back. Flavio jumped out of the way as the man tried to kill him from above. But his opponent was quick, trying to slice his chest with a side slash. But Flavio jumped back once more, getting a good distance between him and the his opponent.

Flavio scanned him, humming in thought. The man looked like someone he knew very well, but instead of his usual black soldier uniform and purple cape with the Lotus seal, he simply wore a white sailor's uniform. His sword was drawn and pointing at him, hate in his eyes.

"...Thank! You!" Flavio smiled, leaning back and clapping at the first word, then snapped forward at the second word, pointing at him with his hands still together. "E-Eh?" The Japanese man gasped.

"I keep telling him, "Ditch the black!" That "He'd look so much cuter in white!" But what do I get? A kurani knife to my throat telling me to shut up! Honestly, I'm just giving him fashion advice… But you!" Flavio pointed to him, gesturing up and down his outfit. "Are living PROOF that he looks good in white! Can I take a picture to show him how good he looks in white? Klaus darling take a photo for us~!" Flavio called, about to take his camera out.

Kiku looked at his enemy, a little confused. It was Lovino, but he was acting more…. Flamboyant than usual. Not to mention that Lovi dying his hair would be the last thing he'd do. Or giving fashion advice. Something just doesn't seem right...

"Smile~!" Kiku snapped out of his thought, and a blinding light stung his eyes, and a high pitch frequency pierced his ears. "Guah!" Kiku gasped, covering his eyes with his hands. He then felt a knee to his stomach, then a kick to his face. He felt his body slide across the broken road, losing grip on his sword until it slid out of his hands.

"Oh, that's such a cute picture!" He heard a muffled voice as the light faded from his eyes. Kiku felt his enemy's presence over him, possibly to strike him again. But before Kiku could give him the satisfaction, Kiku snapped his bloodshot eyes at him, attempting to swipe his foot from underneath. Flavio only jumped, kicking him in the stomach. "Gah!" Kiku gasped, coughing blood. He tsked, trying to reach for his sword, but Flavio stomped on his hand, causing his fingers to break. Kiku screamed, his tormenter only thriving on his pain.

Kiku bit his tongue, aiming to sweep his opponent's feet one more. It almost caught his enemy off guard, but before the blond's back could hit the ground, he arched his back far enough to make his fall into a round off, pushing himself off after a handstand. He skidded back, throwing needles into Kiku's arms and legs. "Argh!" He gasped, as it had hit his vital points to turn his arms and legs into jelly.

His opponent smirked as he walked up to him and held the knives up, hovering it above Kiku's head. "Ciao, tesoro~." Flavio slithered, about to strike. As the knife almost pinned into his head, a Jeogori struck in front of him, causing Flavio to jump back. "Woah there! Almost got my outfit dirty~." Flavio whined, patting his outfit down. "Hm? Oh~? More cuties have joined the party~!" Flavio smiled, clapping his hands together.

Two people stepped in front of Kiku, one dressed in a red burgundy, the other in a blue and white hanbok. The latter pulled the Jeogori out of the ground, and swung it towards the blond haired man, the former pulling out duel Daos. "Don't you dare lay a hand on our donglyo…." One of them sneered. "Oh~ Is this your brother? Oh it must be annoying… my little brother never listens to me, and I can't count on all the times he's turned his blade on me. I'm pretty sure you brother's done the same. Why protect him when he's hurt you?" He smiled, pointing at the two.

Their eyes turned into sneeres of hate, reading their weapons. "Oh~ so I was right…." He sang. "Shut up! You don't know our past or our family!" Lei yelled. "Really? Then who was the one who gave your beloved fratello the scar on his back?"

Both their eyes snapped, and launched forward, weapons drawn back. "SHUT UP!" They yelled, and attacked.

Lien watched from above, shocked. She had listened to the entire conversation via headset and no one, except the higher ups in the family, knew about that scar. She saw the silver haired man yawn, clearly having no interest in the battle. At least they wouldn't have to worry about him for now. Lien turned her attention back to her brothers fighting below her. She could see they were furious. Their attacks were wide opened for attacks, and that was what their enemy was doing. He was striking all their openings, not giving them a chance to advance.

She sighed, turning her communicator on and linked it to her squads plus her brothers. "Listen up! This is Lien Chung! All of you are to help Kiku, Yong Soo, and Lei at once! And whatever they say, tell them Lien said so!" She yelled. "V-Vâng thưa ba" They all responded with the same stutter.

Back on the ground, Yong Soo and Lei tried to find some sort of opening. But they were too engulfed by rage to think tactics. Flavio smirked as he jumped, and kicked them both with one smooth motion. "Gah!" They both screamed, their backs skidding the ground. Flavio laughed as he twirled. "Ah~ This is great! Not a single hint of dirt on my outfit~!" He sang. He suddenly stopped, looking around at the men surrounding him.

"Oh~ Backup has arrived I see…" He muttered. His eyes darted, noticing all of them had four main outfits. "Black cheongsams…. Ninja suits…. Hanboks…. Ao Dais… ah so fashionable! I have to take a photo~." Flavio sang, reaching for his camera. The squads readied themselves, adjusting their bodies, ready to strike. Flavio switched something on his camera, the lense opening, and a barrel of a gun stuck out. Lien gasped, reaching for her communicator. "Abo-" She screamed, but it was too late.

Flavio opened fire, the squad members going down one by one. He screamed a laugh as he continued to fire. "Ah~ So pretty so pretty! Smile for the camera~!" He sang as he still opened fire. Everyone screamed, those advancing forward shot straight in the chests and heads. Those who managed to were untouched heeded to Lien's warning, and retreated back to the rooftops. "Ah~ Don't go! You still need to have your photos taken~!" The fashionista insisted, aiming for the ones trying to run.

"DON'T TOUCH THEM!" Yong Soo screamed, throwing the spear at him. But Flavio knocked the spear away and shot him in the chest. The world went silent for a moment as Yong Soo flew back, hitting his head on the pavement. Kiku, Lei, and Lien watched in horror as he landed on the pathway.

"Yong Soo-san!" Kiku screamed, trying move an arm or leg to get to him. "Why you-!" Lei hissed, running towards him to fight, but Flavio shot him in his legs to immobilize him. Lei screamed in pain as he fell to the ground. Lien couldn't take this anymore. She jumped from the building, rushing towards the battle. She gritted, swearing to herself to make sure that nothing would happen to her brothers. She drew a hidden blade from her ao doi, prepared to attack him from behind. She leapt up, prepared to strike him in the back. But he already heard her running from behind him, and kicked her from the side.

She screamed, as his heel had a hidden blade and stabbed her in the side of the stomach. "Lien!" Kiku screamed, Lien rolling on the floor close to her brothers. "I-I'm okay…" She reassured, her vision blurring slightly and her body slowing. She could tell the blade was poisoned. But she couldn't show it in front of her brothers. She was the older, tougher sister, she couldn't show she was struggling.

She ran forward again, twirling the sword in her hand. She attempted to swipe at his chest, but he dodged with his hands in his pockets. He kicked her in the stomach, sending her backwards. "Lien!" Lei gasped. "I said I-" She coughed, blood coming out of her mouth. Her knees began to shake, and she collapsed into a coughing heap.

"Dàjiě!"

"Onēsan!"

Lei and Kiku cried, Lei crawling to her side. "Oh such a lovely family photo~! Klaus dear doesn't it look like a lovely family?" Flavio asked, turning to his partner who had fallen asleep. He opened an eye and yawned. "Whatever… can we go now?" He sighed. "Not until we have a nice, family photo…." Flavio smiled, crouching down to their level. "Smile for the camera~!" He sang, his finger itching on the trigger.

As he felt his finger on the button, a whizzing sound graced the air and a jolt was felt through the camera. Flavio gasped, noticing the end of a silver bladed boomerang stuck in the barrel of the gun, the other end pointing at his face. "What in the-?"

As Flavio flustered around, trying to pinpoint where the boomerang came from, the boomerang stuck in the camera exposed a hidden barrel of a gun by a tiny door sliding back, and fired. Flavio shrieked, swiftly holding the gun above his head and ducked down out of habit until the shooting stopped. When the gun did, Flavio opening his eyes to examine the boomerang, his fingers stretching to take it out.

The boomerang began to wiggle and flew out, Flavio gasping a wince as he withdrew his hand from the weapon. Everyone watched the Aboriginal weapon fly into a dark alleyway, the sound of someone catching it echoing through. Lei's eyes opened wide, knowing the owner of that weapon. "No way…" Lei gasped. Footsteps echoed from the dark, Flavio tsking. "That, buon signore, was a vintage, one of a kind camera! Do you know how long it took me to find it, and how much it cost?!" Flavio whined.

"Sorry mate…." A man chuckled, stepping out of the shadow. He held his boomerang in a gun holding position, the barrel sticking out and a trigger visible. "But I don't really give a flying fuck about that camera. And as far as I'm concerned, you and that other bloke can shove 'em up your clackers!" He wore a hat, covering his murderous eyes as he smirked, his coat hanging off his shirt and suspenders making him look badass. Everyone was shocked to who it was, but Lei was the one frozen with surprise, worry, happiness, and fear. "C-Christian...?" He gasped softly, Christian not wavering from the call of his name.

Christian squinted, suddenly realising why they looked so familiar. "Hey, I know you… You're from that Latin Family! And you! From the Gotts!" Christian exclaimed, his boomerang gun aimed at them. "Geez, that hair colour looks ghastly on you." Christian smirked, turning his gun towards the blond Italian. "Oh~! How dare you! It took me hours to get my hair this way!" The offended gasped, a hand on his cheek. His partner only rolled his eyes in annoyment. "Well, in anycase, our job here is done. So we better go~! Ciao beautifuls, let's play another day~!" He held up his camera, and pressed the capture button. A white flash filled everyone's eyes, and a high frequency ringing in everyone's ears.

"Damn it! Show yourself! Don't run away you coward!" Christian screamed, but to know avail. The light and sound cleared, everyone blinking to try find the enemy. But they were gone. "W-Where did they go?!" Kiku gasped. "Damn it! We let them get away!" Christian gritted, hitting his fist on the closest wall. "All operational squads! Check for any survivors or injured!" Kiku ordered. "Hai!" His squad responded, running towards the now war torn zone with his brothers and sister's squads following to help.

A few stayed behind, helping their squad leaders to the emergency vehicles first. Kiku gritted his teeth and looked down, scared to see what that man did to his brothers and sister. Commands and shouts came from all over the place, rounding up anyone who was holding on to a string of life. He then looked at Lei, who was being tended to by two of his squad members. He was looking down, either trying to ignore them, or trying to play it cool which is what he did most of the time.

"Lei!" Christian ran to him, squatting down and placed a hand on his shoulder. Lei didn't say anything, only for him to turn his face away. Christian sighed through his nose and looked down at Lei's legs. Both of them were shot in the thigh, Christian's face widened in worry and his chest rose in fear. "Lei…." As Lei got placed on a stretcher, he gave a sigh and looked at his older brother. "Don't worry. I'll be okay…" He reassured, and got placed in the ambulance.

"Christian-san…" Christian turned around, Kiku still looking down with worry and fear. "Why are you here? I thought you would be in Australia…." Kiku muttered. Christian looked down, a sigh escaping his nose. "I heard what happened to Li-Ann, so I wanted to see her. I then saw what was going on, and I couldn't stand by and do nothing." Christian explained. Kiku said nothing at first, then sighed. "I understand…" Kiku muttered, before looking back up at Christian. "But you know Yao-nii-sama will not allow you in our Headquarters."

"Well, I was planning to break in but I saw Lei in danger. Normally, I wouldn't step in, but since he's my brother, and he's also your family, I had to." Christian explained with a slight grit. Kiku stared back at Christian, somewhat coldly. He gave a soft sigh, people running all over the place to clear the site. "Kiku, Li Ann, Zamrud, Neeraja and Lei are all my brothers and sisters too. You know I wouldn't harm them in any way." Christian crouched down to Kiku's height, the addressed still somewhat refusing to look into his eyes. "Kiku, I-"

"Christian-san, I know you would never. I know how important they are to you, like they are to me. So keep your head down when I take you there."

Christian's eyes widened a bit, before softening into a grateful face. "Thanks Kiku…" Christian smiled softly. Kiku nodded, his arms held down lightly by two of his subordinates. One of them tapped a needle into his arm, then looked down at his hand. "Try now sir…" She whispered. Kiku moved one of his fingers in a twitch, the man acupuncturing another point in his arm. Kiku's arm felt like there was a jolt of electricity and tested the movement of his hand, opening and closing it without any problem. Just feeling it to be a bit tingly. They did the same to his other arm, Kiku's other hand feeling tingly and free again. But so did his broken hand. Kiki whinged at the pain, the medicals splintering and wrapping the broken fingers.

"Right, we'll do your legs now sir." The man informed, acupuntering his legs. Kiku winced a bit, but the pain quickly went away. Kiku moved his knee, using the wall behind him to stand. "Kiku-sama-" The woman gasped, trying to help him. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine." Kiku reassured. He eyed Christian, who had stepped up to him, holding his katana. "You shouldn't push yourself mate…." He sighed, holding the katana's hilt towards his face.

Kiku looked at his sword, and took it with a slight bow. "Arigato Christian-san…" He muttered. "Come. Let's get going." Kiku muttered, walking with a wobble to a car waiting for him, Christian following him.

The drive was quiet. Both men looked out the window, the driver tuning out the men at the back in advance as it wasn't his place to listen to their conversations. "Hey, where are the ambulances? Thought they'd be a head of us…" Christian asked, turning his head to Kiku. "They're taking the injured down a hidden path. If the enemy knew where our injured were, they'd probably strike." Kiku explained, his eyes still outside his window.

Christian huffed, turning his head back towards the window and leaned his cheek against his fist. Both men would admit, it did feel somewhat awkward. Back when the first mafia war ended, he convinced Arthur that Kiku basically did nothing during the war all because he couldn't stand the quiet man. For whatever reason, Christian long forgot. Then when the second war came around, Kiku attacked him in revenge for making the other mafias look at him like a joke. Christian kind of felt it was his fault that it happened. Because of his envy, his brothers and sisters got hurt.

Of course both men forgave each other for the incidents, but there was still that lingerness of the angered past whenever they were alone together.

"Hey Christian-san…." Kiku began, Christian looking back at Kiku with a hum, his cheek never leaving his fist. "You said that they looked similar to the members of Ordo and Gotts…. Do you think they were Lovino and Gilbert?" Kiku asked, turning to Christian.

The addressed man sighed, reaching his hands behind his head as he began to relax. "To be honest I don't know… They looked like them, but their personalities were so… different. From what I remember, Lovino would rather kill himself than dye his hair any colour, and Gilbert never looked that tired or bored… It almost seemed like they were different people…" Christian muttered. "Ah, just like that episode in One Piece when there were copycats of the Straw Hats, only this time the impostures looked closer to them…." Kiku muttered.

Christian looked at him, extremely confused to what he was talking about but he let it slide. Christian looked at the roof with a sigh, his mind flashing with images of Li Ann and Lei. He closed his eyes, praying to God that they were both alright.

"By the way, Christian-san…"

"Hm?" Christian hummed, turning to Kiku. "A-Ano…. That weapon you have… can I see it?" Kiku asked, a glimmer in his eye. Christian laughed at that twinkle and dug into his inner coat. "Sure thing mate." He pulled out his sharp boomerang out of a gun-like holster and handed it to Kiku.

Kiku marveled at the weapon, his fingers running along the curved blade. "Amazing craftsmanship….It's a knife, gun, and boomerang all in one!" He gasped. "I have so many questions! What metal do you use? How does it shoot? How do you reload? How did you bring it back to you?" He bombarded with questions, Christian only laughing in response. "Sorry, all that is confidential." He said with a smirk.

Kiku audibly whined as he continued to caress the weapon. "But Christian-san, you don't belong to any families… Why do you have weapons like these?" Kiku asked, looking at Christian. "U-Um… well since we have so many connections to the other families, it's safe to be prepared. Once a friend or family member is soaked in blood, there will always a target on our backs…" Christian muttered. "Ah, I suppose that's true…" Kiku muttered in agreements, pulling his hand away when he was done.

"Cheers." Christian murmured, checking it for anything strange before putting it back. "Anyway, we're coming up."

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Vâng thưa ba! = Yes ma'am!

Ciao, tesoro = Bye, darling

Donglyo = Brother

Dàjiě= Big sister

Onēsan = Big sister

Buon signore = Good sir

Clacker = Aussie slang for Arse[hole]

Hai! = Yes


	19. Immobile Spirits

Gupta and Xander hid in the trees about a kilometer away from the family mansion. If the enemy did advance, they had to make sure the fight was taken as far away from the mansion as possible. 

“Hey.”

Gupta and Xander snapped back, weapons drawn, only for Zamrud to almost fall out of the tree with her hands in the air, signalling truce. “Geez Zamrud don’t scare us like that!” Xander snapped softly, eyes back on the road. “Scare you?! What about me?!” She snapped back, Xander ignoring her. “Anyway, Altansarnai told me to check on you, so here I am.” She sighed. 

The three sat in the tree, eagle eyes around the road and around the area. Zamrud’s wrist buzzed, her flicking the watch to her face. “It’s Kiku!” She exclaimed, her brothers turning around to face her as she answered her watch. “Kiku, what’s the situation?” She asked with a serious tone. 

“The enemy retreated. We’re coming back, we have a lot of injured with us, so prepare some rooms.” Kiku ordered. “Right away!” Zamrud nodded. “Oh, one other thing.” Kiku informed, before Zamrud could cut him off. “We have a guest coming as well. So keep an open mind.” He informed, and his communicator cut off. The three looked at each other, before leaping down from the tree and made their way to the entrance.

When they reached the entrance they saw Neeraja standing there, arms folded. “Hey Neeraja…” Zamrud said with a slight smile. Neeraja looked up, and gave a slight smile. “Namaste.” He greeted back, putting his hands together and bowed. “Neeraja what’s up?” Xander smiled. “Same old.” Neeraja chuckled. A black car drove into the courtyard, squeaking to a stop. The four stiffened, staring at the tinted windows. The door furthest away from them opened, Kiku stepping out first, slightly wobbling. 

“Kiku!” Xander gasped, rushing over to hold up his arm and shoulders. “A-Arigato Xander-san… but I’m okay….” Kiku told him with reassurance, using his sword to support himself. “A-Anyway…” Kiku stuttered, making his way to the door facing them. “We have a guest with us, so please treat him with the utmost respect.” He said with a monotone voice, and opened the door. Heavy boots stepped out, everyone’s eyes widened at who it was. The man smiled, giving a friendly salute. 

“G’day guys.” 

“Christian!” Zamrud and Xander exclaimed, running up to him and tackled him into a hug. “Woah hey!” Christian smiled, patting them on the head. Gupta ran up behind, emotionless and stopping behind Xander and Zamrud. “Hey Gupta! Long time no see!” Chris smiled as he broke out of their hug and walked up to him, patting him on head. Gupta looked down, his cheeks having a bit of red. Even though he didn’t want to admit it, Gupta liked Christian as his brother. 

“Hey Neeraja!” The Aussie smiled as he extended his hand for a handshake. “Christian, it’s been a while!” His Indian brother beamed, shaking his hand. “Haven’t seen you since the Cricket Match two years ago!” Christian laughed, Neeraja chuckling as well. “Well, after that we swore never to go to a cricket match together again.” He smiled, folding his arms. “So why are you here?” Zamrud asked, tilting her head. 

“I uh… came to see Li Ann… How is she? Can I see her?” Christian asked. Everyone instantly paled, looking down in silence. “Why don’t you come in first...” Zamrud offered heading in, everyone following her in, only Kiku staying behind, watching them walk through the large courtyard and up the cobble steps into the mansion. He sighed, leaning on the car as his legs almost gave way. “Kiku sir!” The guards gasped, rushing towards him. “I-I’m okay… I just need to rest….” He reassured, walking off with a sway to his room.

Everyone crowded in their sister’s room, the owner of the room closing the door and sitting down. It was eerily silent until Zamrud’s sigh broke the silence. “Li Ann is severely hurt. Her trachea has been crushed. We’re not sure when she can speak again. Or if she can speak again…” She said, curling up. Christian’s eyes widened with that older brother concern. 

“And that’s not all…” She muttered, tightening her grip in her legs. “Namgyal said her head wound is worse than he thought. Her skull’s cracked real bad….and her brain’s slightly bruised.” She gritted, beginning to cry. Her brother and formers brothers jolted up, looking at each other. “It’s not enough to kill her, and he’s already done all he can to prevent it from becoming worse.” She said, hugging herself a bit tighter.

“Zamrud! Why didn’t you say anything?!” Neeraja growled, making Zamrud flinch a bit. “Namgyal said he didn’t want you to worry…” She muttered. “Fuck...” Christian swore, leaning back. Everyone looked to the ground, gritting their teeth and tightening their fists. “Who did this to her?” Xander gritted. Zamrud shook her head and sighed. “I don’t know…” She said.

Suddenly Christian stood up, marching to the door. “Christian, where are you going?” Xander asked, still monotoned. “To see Li Ann.” Christian said, opening the door. “B-But Li Ann’s resting! Not to mention there are other people resting!” Zamrud exclaimed, standing up, following him out. Gupta, Xander, and Neeraja looked at each other, before following them out.

Christian found his way to the medical suite and softly opening the door. He scanned the beds, shocked at what he saw. Mei looked like her soul was sapped from her, as she was staring blankly at the ceiling, Altansarnai and Heracles were in a deep sleep, their wounds wrapped up in heavy bandages. Then there was the fourth bed. Christian slowly stepped forward, assessing her broken body. A breathing tube was down her throat, the crown of her head wrapped in bandages, and her face covered in scratches.

He brought himself to his knees, and held her arms. “Li Ann…” He whispered. Li Ann opened her eyes looking to the side. She was startled at first, weakly trying to move away from him. “Hey hey shhhh… it’s okay, it’s only me…” Christian soothed, caressing her cheek. Li Ann’s breathing slowed down as she began to relax. Christian smiled warmly at her, and that’s when she knew that he was the real Christian. Her hand shakily reached for his cheek, Christian letting her touch him. He put his hand on top of hers, as he looked at her.

She opened her mouth trying to speak, but her vocal chords wouldn’t let her talk, and her breath tube made her gag. “Hey hey hey, don’t talk. You’re still recovering.” He said, but that still wouldn’t stop her from trying to talk. “A…..Ah….” She gasped, grasping his hand resting on her cheek. “Ah?” Christian repeated. He looked behind him at the others who were shocked at what was going on. From their expressions, he deducted that they didn’t know what she was talking about.

“Li Ann shhh shh shh…” Li Ann stopped talking and breathed out through her nose. Christian may have put up a smiling front, but inside, he was angry, heartbroken, and upset. She grew up with him, and she was often shy, but had one of the most radiant smiles. His mind came back when Li Ann slowly tapped something at the back of his hand with odd beats. Some taps were quick, some were slow and long. Christian wasn’t sure what she was doing and he was about to say something, but her heavy eyes closed, using up all her energy.

Christian growled in frustration, bundling up with his head buried in his hands. Xander pursed his lips in a thin line, and walked towards Christian to place a hand on his back. The latter looked up to him, before pressing his lips together with comfort and worry. 

Christian pushed the chair back as he stood up, stopping at Neeraja. He whispered something to Neeraja, who simply pointed as Christian walked in that direction. “Christian-” Xander began.

Everyone jumped at the sudden command and the rolls of wheels of beds. “Move aru!” Yao exclaimed, waving his hands to get his siblings to move, which they did. “Big brother Yao what-” Zamrud asked with a panic, but didn’t need to ask when she saw them.

Yong Soo and Lien laid in their beds, unconscious, as Aisyah and a man from Namgyal’s unit wheeled them in. Zamrud gasped, putting her hand to her mouth as her brothers watched with widened eyes. “T-That’s…. impossible….” Zamrud stuttered. 

Lien shivered, her eyes squeezing shut from the poison flowing through her veins. Yong Soo, on the other hand, had a breathing mask with a bulky machine attached to his chest, as the bullet had punctured him straight in the lung. Yao held the railing of Lien’s bed, as she entered first. “Lien, stay with us!” He pleaded, hovering over her face as she winced through the pain. 

“Damn it when I find out who did this I will personally send them to their grave aru!” Yao hissed. “Xander! Gupta!” Both jumped slightly at their names, Sadik marching up to them. “Kýrie!” Xander and Gupta saluted, clicking their heels. 

“I have new orders for both of you. Two of you will return to Istanbul this instant in preparation for any attacks. I will stay here to aid Yao.” Sadik ordered. “Eh? But Sadik-” Xander began to protest, until Gupta put a hand on his shoulder. Xander breathed out, looking down on the ground. “Yes sir.” He muttered. 

Both Gupta and Xander turned towards the shocked group outside the medical suit. “We have to go back to Istanbul now… We’ll see you guys soon.” Xander muttered, about to turn around until he realised someone was missing. “Hey, wait where’s Lei?” Everyone gasped, looking around. Lei nowhere to be found. “I-Is Lei….?!” Zamrud gasped, knees quaking. “Don’t worry, Lei’s resting in his room but….”

Lei sat up in his bed, staring out the window as he watched the sun set. The orange and red glow filled his room, warmth filling his chest and skin with warmth. 

“He was shot in his legs... We don’t know if and when he can walk again aru….”

Lei heard a knock on the door followed by a slide, but didn’t turn around to greet who it was. A chair scrapped to the side of his bed before the wood plumped followed by a sigh. “Geez, you guys are getting more and more reckless…” His visitor sighed. Lei could just hear him shaking and rubbing his head. 

“.....Why are you here Christian?” Lei finally asked, but still refused to look at him. Christian froze at the question before he smiled folding his arms. “What, is it a crime to visit my little brothers and sisters once in a while?” He chuckled. Lei still stayed silent, making the Australian cough. “Anyway….” Christian muttered, turning his attention down to his legs. “How are your legs holding up?”

Lei’s teeth gritted a bit, before turning his own head to his legs. “They’re fine…. I just need to rest….” Lei muttered, gripping the sheets slightly. Christian noted where his bandages wrapped around his legs, his heart pinging at the location. He remembered when he was younger Lei told him where the pressure points in the legs were, and it was dead on where it was.

“Lei-” Christian began, before the door opened with a slight slam. Christian snapped his head at the door, his brothers and sister standing at the door with heavy pants. “Guys…” He whispered. Zamrud’s eyes swelled and ran at Lei, throwing her arms around his neck. “Lei it’s going to be alright!” She cried, her head buried on his shoulder. Lei just kept his eyes down, saying nothing. 

“Here, I brought Chen’s leftover soup…. I warmed it up for you….” Neeraja said softly, as he placed the bowl on his bedside table. Lei still said nothing, hanging his head down to avoid any contact with his brothers and sister. 

“Maybe…. We should give him some space…” Christian muttered, as he stood up to usher everyone out of Lei’s room. “Wait, uh Lei, we just wanted to tell you we’re heading back to Istanbul immediately, so take care of yourself okay?” Xander informed with a small smile. 

Still nothing.

Xander sighed as he turned around to leave. “Come on. Gupta you coming?” Everyone hung outside the door as Gupta stepped forward. Everyone looked on with tilted heads, and Gupta wrapped his arms around shoulders. 

Lei felt his chest ping with shock, as his eyes widened. But he still did not move his head towards his foster family. Everyone watched as the two stayed like that for a while until Gupta let go to join the others closing the door behind him.

Everyone stayed silent as they walked towards the main entrance to say farewell to Gupta and Xander. Zamrud hugged both of them tightly, whispering and pleading for both of them to be safe on their way back. They promised her they would as they waved goodbye and hopped into one of the parked cars to drive to the airport.

“Well, I better get going too… Oh by the way, did Yao come to America recently?” Christian asked, Neeraja and Zamrud looked at each other with confusion. “No, Yao hasn’t left Asia in a long time…. I think the last time he left Asia was during the Second Mafia war…” Neeraja informed. 

Christian blinked in shock before humming, hooking his index finger to his chin. “Is that so….” He muttered. “Anyway, you guys stay safe too. Alfred gives his regards.” Christian gave a bright sunny smile as he walked away, leaving Zamrud and Neeraja alone. Both of them looked at each other with a confused look before shrugging and closed the doors.


	20. Come my Brothers

Victor looked down in at the sheets. His face was covered with bandaids and a bandage around his forehead. He clenched his fists on the sheets, his mind flashing back to that night. It replayed in his mind over and over and over again, like a nightmare. He gritted his teeth, cursing himself for not for finding his sister.

_Knock knock_

Victor lazily looked up, Govert entering. "Hey you're up…" Govert said in his usual calm, flat tone. "Govert…" Victor mumbled back, his voice and face drained of all life and meaning. "You feeling better?" Govert asked, walking next to him as he pulled up a chair and turned the back towards Victor and straddled it like a saddle. "Yeah a bit… my head still hurts though…" Victor muttered, rubbing his head. Govert hummed, giving a nod. "Any news of Bella yet?" Victor asked. "No, not yet…" Govert sighed, leaning forward.

Victor thought about that night, how emotional his older brother got when he saw them for the first time in years. Govert was never the type to break down or show emotion, unless someone tried to out-business him, or if someone messed with Bella or himself. It made Victor smile a little, to know that Govert still cared for them.

"So anyway, why didn't you tell me you were with the Ordo Equitum?" Govert asked, straight to the point. Victor's face drained. "How did you…?" He asked. Govert pointed his thumb to his outfit hanging on the wall. "Italian silk vest, French buttoned up top, Spanish designed shoes, Portuguese made trousers…. Not to mention Feliciano told me when I confronted him." Govert said. Victor was silent his eyes wide, before looking down once more. "Govert, I-"

"Do you know how much I had to do to get out of that cursed family?! To get away from Antonio?! To try provide the best for you?! And you and Bella just…. Why?!"

"You wouldn't understand Govert!"

"Why?! We're brothers aren't we?! Why wouldn't I understand?!"

_Knock knock_

Both boys looked at the door as it opened. In peeped Erika's head, her head down and cheeks red a bit. "U-Um… Ludwig called a meeting in the Computer Lab…" She whispered. Govert sighed, standing up and took the file with him. He shot Victor a "This-isn't-over" look and left to head to the meeting.

Erika nodded softly, about to close the door. "Erika?" Erika flinched at her name, before peeping into the room. "Erika come in, I haven't seen you in years!" Erika looked down, contemplating what she should do. She gave a little breath out and shuffled in, next to Victor's bed. "Wow, Erika you've grown so much since I last saw you… How old are you now?" He asked with a smile.

"U-Um… fourteen now…." She whispered, looking down and resting her hands on her skirt. Victor whistled and smiled. "Wow double digits! Vash must be proud that his little sister is growing up!" He said with a smile. Erika's mouth twitched into an embarrassed smile. "A-And your hair's grown longer…" She whispered with a smile. "Has it?" Victor said with a playful surprise, touching the tip of his fringe. "I didn't notice." He smiled. Erika giggled a bit. "Anyway, you better get going before your brother beats me up for you talking to a traitor." He smiled.

Erika's smile faulted a bit, looking down again. "O-Okay…" She whispered, heading towards the door. "P-Please don't be too hard on Mister Govert… He's been very worried about you and Miss Bella… We all were actually…" Victor stayed silent as Lily talked. "I know you all were…" Victor whispered, and Lily left without another word.

Erika opened the door to the lab, everyone and Feliciano already there waiting for her. The walls were covered with hard drives, several computers were scattered around the room, with an empty table in the middle covered wires, chips, screwdrivers, microscopes, finished gadgets, and pliers.

Everyone had a grim expression, Erika wondering why. Maybe because she was late. "S-Sorry I'm late…" She apologised with timidity. "Ve~ That's alright!" Feliciano beamed, Erika smiling slightly.

"Now zhat everybody's here, Eduard, Lukas, Arthur, what did you get?" Ludwig asked, folding his arms.

"Well unfortunately for us, there's nothing we found that can break through the firewalls..." Arthur explained, flicking through his notes. Everyone groaned, before turning to Eduard. "Anything from you Eduard?" Ludwig asked. "Well, I have bad news and good news." Eduard sighed leaning back on his swivel chair, hands clasped on his stomach. "Bad news, all the firewalls and protection applications they use is at the level of what secret agencies around the world, even Royal Families, use these firewalls and encryptions. And with the equipment…" Eduard sighed, tapping the computer he was at.

"No way I can hack the other families computers…"

"And ze good news?" Roderich asked, pushing his glasses up. "Well, back in the Soyuz, we were given an assignment to protect a hard drive so that got me thinking what that was…" Eduard pushed himself to the other side to another computer, beginning to type. Eduard pushed himself to the other side to another computer, beginning to type.

"And I found out that during the Cold War, the Russians were developing a super hard drive to hack any super computer in the world. I did a little research, and I should tell you the hard drive, was stolen five years ago. Unfortunately, the thief left with little to no evidence so no one knows where the drive is." Eduard sighed, rubbing his forehead.

The room went into a heavy silence for a moment, until a low sound broke the tension.

"Oooooh…."

Everyone slowly looked to where the 'oh' came from. There stood Gilbert, looking guilty of something. "...Gilbert…? Vhat did you do?" Ludwig growled, folding his arms. "Vell… um… Ah vell, it's a funny story actually…" He laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. All eyes were on him now. Looks of disappointment of his stupidity already taking shape.

"V-Vell vhen Eduard and I left the Soyuz, I may have uh… taken something to piss Ivan off… I vent to ze locked up room und grabbed ze first thing I saw vhich was a locked box und uh..." Everyone's eyes widened, Eduard's jaw dropping. "Gilbert, you didn't…" He gawked. Gilbert sheepishly laughed, confirming what everyone was thinking. Eduard was gobsmacked. He didn't know whether to hug or slap Gilbert!

"Gilbert what the bloody hell were you thinking?!" Arthur growled. "Vell I vas pissed at ze time… Wait, vhy are you yelling at me?! I did zomezhing awesome!" The thief grumbled in defence. "Not the point!" Arthur snapped. "Whatever, all that matters is that we have the hard driver because of Gilbert's stupidity. That's all that matters."

"Hey!" Gilbert snapped in defence, but was ultimately ignored.

"Gilbert, grab the box, Eduard, begin transmission." Eduard nodded, zooming to his chair and gliding across the room beginning to begin his hack. "Now, Feliciano?" Ludwig turned his attention back to Feliciano.

"Ve?" Feliciano gasped, looking up.

"You called the Union, it is your choice where you want the meeting."

Feliciano had to think a bit, wondering where the meeting should be held. "Ve… Maybe at our Meeting Hall at Vatican City…" Ludwig raised an eyebrow and folded his arms, as Seamus and Patrick looked at each other with a slight concern look in their eyes. "Vatican City? Are you sure since it's… you know…" Dylan muttered, teetering his body from side to side.

"Ve, don't worry. As long as we don't disturb the public, they won't mind us there." Feliciano smiled. Patrick gave a concerned hum and rubbed the back of his neck. "Well if you say so.." He muttered.

"Alright. All of you will have three days before the jets leave. Dismissed!" Ludwig snapped, everyone scattering off for their missions.

Everyone nodded and scattered out of the room to prepare for their trip. Eduard gave a violent sigh and sat back down again. Feliciano stayed silent as he watched about two thirds of the mafia leave, Erika, Vash, Eduard, Ludwig and he remaining, only the sounds of lightning fast typing from a thick keyboard filling the room's quietness. "Ludwig, I want to help out too, let me-" Feliciano began, before Ludwig cut him off. "You're staying here. We don't know if you'll run if something goes wrong or if you really used The Union for your benefit. Besides, you called Union, you'll be the one to explain" He hissed. "But-"

"No buts!" He snapped.

"Ve… Well…. As long as I'm here, can I see Victor?" Feliciano asked with a whisper. Ludwig stayed silent before sighing, rubbing the back of his head. "Fine, but one of us will be in the room with you." He sneered. Feliciano nodded, completely agreeing with him. Ludwig turned to to Erika, beckoning her forward.

Erika looked down as walking up to her leader, her brother boring his eyes in their direction. He watch Ludwig talk to his sister, before she nodded timidly and left with Feliciano towing behind her. "Oi, where are they going?" Basch hissed, watching them leave. "Feliciano wants to talk to Victor, so I sent Erika just to keep an eye on them." He sighed, folding his arms. Basch's eyes blinked into surprise, his brows turning to a deep fury. "Are you crazy?! What if it really is a trap and Erika gets hurt or worse?!" He howled.

"Relax, you taught Erika how to use a gun right? She'll be fine…" Eduard muttered, running green code on a black screen. "Yeah but-" Basch began to argue back, but was silenced when Ludwig placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright, we're all here. Besides, Erika's beginning to grow. We should let her handle things-"

Basch just tisked and slapped his hand off. "Don't you get it?! We've been in this family for all of our lives! We've seen things no one ever wants to see! No matter what we do, can't leave because if we do, we'd be exposing our homes and families! That's why as long as we're here, I'm not going to let Erika see or get involved in what we've seen and done!" He yelled, storming off after Erika and Feliciano.

Ludwig only sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You're not going to go after him?" Eduard asked, his eyes still glued to the computer, and glasses reflecting the fast paced code running across the screen. "Why bother? He's going to ignore me anyway. And I'd rather not have a gun in my face again…" He mumbled, leaning over Eduard's shoulder as he read the code along with him.

"Anyway, can you get the locations?" Ludwig sighed. "Yep. Give me an hour or two and I should have them…" Ludwig nodded, before snapping his heels with a cough. "Very vell, I shall leave you to it." Eduard gave a thumbs up without turning his head away from the screen.

* * *

"Anything from him yet?"

"Non, nothing."

Lovino gritted under soft breath. He eyed the two way mirror from the detective's side, Matúš chained on the other side. His face was already glowing black, blue, and red from Vladimir's encounter, and his head hung low to avoid eye contact with both his reflection and the people behind it. Lovino could see him shaking ever so slightly from the isolation. Maybe it was because of the breeze of the room, fear, or the worst answer, Ivan's psychedelic hold on him.

"Feliciano's made it hard for us since he called Union, but we still need to get information out of him. Ahhh I can't believe I had to cancel my date…" Francis whined dramatically, placing a poor hand against his forehead. "Shut up and get in there!" The Italian barked and gave him a push. "Mon dieu Lovino, where was this confidence in the Second War?" Francis smugged, hand on the door handle and other reaching for a file.

"S-Shut up and interrogate him already!"

"Oui oui…"

Francis opened the door with a heavy push, entering the danger field. Matúš still did not look up to greet his interrogator, face throbbing in worn out pain. "Mon dieu Matúš. Your quite reckless today. Punching a mafia boss, Ludwig no less." Matúš grumbled, trying to sink away from the conversation. "Then Vladimir accused you of kidnapping little Aurel, which is quite serious… And now you accuse us of taking part in the Moscow attack."

"Heh. Look at you, playing detective. Isn't being the police the  _last_ thing we all want to be?" Matúš snarled with a pull of his lips. "Well, Arthur  _did_ become a police officer for a while so you tell me." Francis shot back, his eyes scanning the reports. Matúš groaned, his back hitting the back of his steel chair.

"Anyway, instead of talking about ze explosions, how about we talk about Aurel?" Francis smiled slyly, slapping the file down and intertwining his fingers to rest upon his chin. Matúš's body froze, skin fading into a pale, icy look. "We don't have him." Matúš replied slowly. "Matúš, we know Vlad's history with you and your family. He knew Ivan wouldn't stop looking for him, then out of the blue his petit frère just up and disappears?"

Francis's snark dropped and leaned forward with a dark eye. "We know you have him… No use denying it…" He growled. "I told you! I don't know anything!" The Slavic man repeated with a slight grit. Francis tried again, kinder this time. "Matúš… you are safe here. Ivan cannot harm you. You can tell us."

Matúš could feel his heart stop. He looked at the table, his head silently weighing the pros and cons. He could finally leave the Soyuz under the Ordo's protection. He and his territory may begin to live better lives. He might be able to finally leave this life behind him.

But then….

Alžběta would be left alone to suffer. Everyone would be punished for him defecting. Aurel would have one less person to protect him, after he promised Vlad all those years ago. "I told you. Aurel isn't with us. You're asking the wrong person." He whispered. Francis stayed silent for a while, sighing as he leaned back in his chair. His face turned at the mirror and shook his head. Lovino could hear his head fuming.

"That's it."

He burst into the room, slamming the door behind him. "You really want to push my buttons bastard?!" He yelled, slamming his gloved hands on the table with a bang. "You mess with one of us, you mess with  _all_ of us! You will cooperate, you don't have a choice!"

"Ha! Like I'd listen to you!"

Lovino tensed his jaw, biting slightly. He leaned into the Slovakian's ear, breath inching down the ear canal. France raised an eyebrow as the Italian's jaw moved up and down, shaping to form the words. Matúš's neutral look, turned to sheer horror as Lovino backed away and placed a hand on his hip. "Now how about you take it from the top?" Lovino tried again. Francis was a little scared. What did Lovino actually say to him, he'd have to ask later.

"I…."

_BANG!_

Antonio burst through the door, his eyes widened from surprise. "What the fuck tomato bastard can't you see we're busy right now?!"

"F-Feliciano… upstairs…!"

"What?!" Lovino sprinted upstairs, Francis and Antonio not far behind on his trail. Lovino skitted around the corner into the living room, the remaining members crowding around the holographic television. Flickering in and out of the screen was Feliciano, silent. He took a breath and opened his eyes to the camera.

"Regazzi, as you all know, there have been several attacks around the world, including in Russia, China, and Japan and primarily targeted families that had a role in the Mafia Wars. I believe that we are all under attack. For that reason, I have called Union. We will meet at the Vatican City in three days. Location and time shall be sent in one hour. As this is a Union, I remind you that we are on peace terms between each other. No weapons, fights, or provocative actions will be allowed. Arrivederci."

* * *

Sadik turned off the television as soon as the message was broadcasted. Yao felt a little rage inside of him. How did they hack into his signals? Their inscriptions were even stronger than his governments. He drew his pipe to his mouth and took a long breath.

Sadik watched his ally as he puffed a cloud into the room. "What do you think?" Yao asked, shifting his eyes to the masked man. "...It's a Union. The last time it was called, Ivan and Alfred were at each other's throats. I wonder how that kid's doing?" Sadik muttered the last part to himself, rubbing his rough chin through the gloves.

Yao tapped his pipe on the arm chair, letting the ash fall.

"So are we going?"

"...I want to know who did this to my family. We will go." Yao stood up, moving to the door and pushing it to the side. "Peki. I will inform Gupta."

* * *

"Big brother…." Natalya whispered, turning her body towards him.

Ivan still stared at the screen, frozen during his meal. His head reeled at how they managed to hack the system. To do that they'd need….

"Etot sukin syn …" Ivan laughed under his breath. "...What do you propose we do sir?" Elizabeta whispered, turning her head towards her boss. Ivan placed his knife and fork down, bringing the crisp napkin to his mouth, dabbing it slightly. "Elizabeta, Toris."

"Y-Yes sir?"

"You are to accompany me to the meeting. Natalya, you will protect the base."

"Yes big brother."

"Everyone else will stay here. If anything should happen, I will leave Natalya in charge."

Everyone froze at those words. Natalya in charge would be like leaving a psychopath in charge of a prison. Oh wait, that's exactly what it was!

"Of course big brother." Natalya curtsied as she smiled. "But of course you will make it back, then we can get ma-"

Ivan zoomed out of the room before his sister could finish that sentence. Natalya tsked, standing up from her curtsy. "Coward…" She whispered.

* * *

Alfred's thumbs furiously fiddled with the controller. Never did someone have such a determined face. "Aaaaargh why won't you diiiiie!" He yelled at the screen. "U-Um Alfred, maybe you should start looking at these deals…" Matthew asked with an airy whisper, handing him a document. "Ah Matt when did you get here?!" Alfred jumped back, that could make a cat proud. "I've been here for an hour...." Matthew whispered, feeling very transparent. "Aaaagh noooo!" Alfred scrambled his thumbs to try get back into the rhythm interrupted by his brother.

Matthew watched with a bland expression as the words "Game Over" appeared on the screen. His brother screeched and dramatically clung to his twin. "Matthew why!? Why have you forsaken me!? I have nothing to live for now! Farewell cruel world!" Alfred dramatically fell to the ground, his body rocking slightly on impact. Tongue rolling out the side of his mouth with eyes shut. His brother stayed silent for a bit before crouching down at his "dead" brother's level. "Maybe now you can sign these documents first then die?" Matthew tried again, shoving the file in his face. "Oh that hurt!" Alfred whined, pulling himself up with his brother's tie. Needless to say, Matthew was not expecting that and fell flat on his face as his brother sat up. "No one more time!" Alfred declared, resetting the level. Matthew sighed and left the room, mumbling something about pay back later.

"C'mon c'mon!" Alfred gritted, his thumbs on fire.

_Bzzt!_

_Bzzt!_

"Are you serious...!?" Alfred groaned. His phone was on the couch while he was sitting on the floor about three meters away. He laid on his side, eyes still on the screen and thumbs still moving furiously. His foot extended up towards his vibrating, flexing for it. "Come on!" He gritted.

That was when Alfred's saving grace gilded into the room. Like an angel sent from heaven itself. Alfred beamed, lifting his head up to address his saviour. "William thank God! Pass me my phone dude!" Alfred called out, still playing his game and balancing his gaming and talking to his New Zealand brother.

"...Why can't you just pause the game and take it?"

"Dude I'm close to beating this level I can't stop now!"

"And if it's an important phone call? Seriously you're getting addicted!"

"I only use that phone with family so don't worry about it! And I'm not addicted!"

"...Fine but next time I'm pulling the plug!" William snarled through his threatening gleam, as he picked up the phone and tossed it to Alfred's side. "Thanks dude you're the best!" Alfred flashed his 100 megawatt smile, William rolling his eyes in return. "By the way, I have to return those deal documents tomorrow so you better sign them!" William called out as he left the room.

"Yeah yeah!" Alfred called back without care. At a millisecond of a break, Alfred swiftly answered his phone and wedged it between his cheek and shoulder. "Yo Alfred here!"

"Alfred, it's Xander."

"Hey Xander what up bro! Need something?"

"Actually, um… something happened and I thought you should know…."

Alfred got caught off guard with that sentence and tone. He shook his head, his thumbs picking up the pace.

"Oh yeah? What kind of news?" Alfred asked, half concentrating on the game and the other half on Xander.

"Uh…. Feliciano called Union…."

Alfred froze his movements, his opponent taking that opportunity to crush him into a "Game Over.

"H-He's what…?! He can't!" Alfred roared and stood up with fire in his stomach.

"Gupta's already been ordered to go take notes for Sadik. Yao is as well…."

Alfred stayed silent then gave a violent sigh. "Fine, but I want to know what's going on! Carlos is still recovering because of that commie!"

"Yeah, I already discussed it with Gupta. We'll give you the details later."

And with that, Alfred heard the beep on the other line. "Damn it!" Alfred swore, hands to his hair and slammed on the couch. His mind flashed to Carlos, still in that fragile state and Li Ann who was probably still in insufferable pain.

"I won't let them get away with harming my family!"

* * *

Petit frère= Little brother

Peki= Alright

Etot sukin syn= That son of a bitch


	22. Chapter 22

******_A few hours earlier_ **

 

Victor tapped this hands on his thighs that were covered with his thick blanket, his hands stinging a bit as he lifted and dropped them in rhythm. He looked around, bored with staying in bed from his injuries.

 

He eyed the room, scanning it from left to right. He gave a smiling scoff, closing his eyes in thought.

 

_ “Govert! Brother and I made hot chocolate to help you feel better!!” _ __   
  


_ “Well, it was mostly her. I only handed her the ingredients and items.” _

 

_ “......*Sip*... it’s good…. Think I’m feeling better already.” _

 

_ “Really?! I’m so glad!” _

 

Victor smirked, his back supported by the soft pillow. A smell lingered around the room, a faded scent of waffles and hot chocolate emoting from the quilts, pillows, and curtains. It was a room frozen in time…

 

_ Knock knock _

 

Victor snapped out of his daydream, looking up at the door. The door creaked ajar, Erika peeking in. “Victor….” She began. “Ah! Erika! What can I do for you?” He smiled. “W-Well um…. You have a visitor…” She whispered and opened the door wider.  

 

Victor’s jaw unlocked and dropped. No way he was here in enemy territory... A million questions rushed through his mind while at the same time drawing a blank. He didn’t even know that was possible! Footsteps on the wood fading out as his visitor came closer, his eyes staring at a thousand-yard distance, mouth trying to form words but just couldn’t.

 

_ Click click! _

 

“Victor! Victor are you alright?!”

 

Victor shook his head at the call of his name and the snaps of fingers in his face. He swiftly looked up at his visitor, still boggled by his presence. “F-Feliciano, what are you-” Victor was swiftly cut off by his boss’s cries. “Waaaah Victor thank goodness you’re alright!” He wailed, wrapping his arms around Victor’s shoulders. Victor winced at his injuries, Feliciano gasping at what he was doing and instantly backed off.   
  


“Ve Victor, fratello and I were so worried that you were hurt…” He whined, wiping his tears with the back of his arm. “B-But you’re alright! I’m so glad!”

 

“Feliciano… what are you doing here?” 

 

Feliciano’s face morphed into negative thoughts. As he took a deep breath in, Victor could hear the shakiness in the oxygen he had just consumed. “B-Before we get to that… tell me what happened…”

 

Victor’s face hardened at his boss’s order. He could feel his knuckles whitening with every second of him gripping the sheets warming his legs. His teeth gritted slightly, looking down with disgust of himself. “Victor…?” Feliciano whispered, placing his hand upon the old Gotts Botten. 

 

“Don’t look at me!” Victor thundered. Feliciano retracted his hand back with a whimper, Erica jumping from his sudden outburst. “I don’t know where she is alright?! She disappeared into the sea! I tried to find her but Govert stopped me! Now I’m back here and you’re here, why the HELL are you here?!” 

 

Victor could feel his chest heaving with his rant. Erika and Feliciano looked at each other, mixtures of fear and worry smeared in their eyes. “V-Victor…” Erika began, as she stepped forward and placed a warm hand on Feliciano’s shoulder. “The reason Feliciano is here is-”

 

“Erika get away from him!”

 

Before Feliciano could even comprehend what happened, he felt Erika’s hand snatch away from his shoulder and a hand on his collar. Vash bored his eyes into Feliciano’s shocked and scared ones. “I don’t care that you’re here or that you’re the boss of another family, but stay away from my sister!” He declared, his grip tightening with every second he held onto Feliciano. “B-Big brother it’s alright!” Erika panicked, hovering her hands above her brother.

 

“No it’s not! We have no business with the mafia! I told you before, we’re only staying here because we were born in this world! But we are  _ not _ contributing to anything!”

 

“Hmph, I see you’re still as protective as ever Vash…”

 

Vash’s attention turned to Victor, an ice dagger stare clashing with Vash’s angry and snarling stare. “You have no room to talk…”

 

“Why not? Since you’re so neutral you shouldn’t care about me or this family. Any family for that matter.”

 

“I only care about the safety of my sister. I couldn’t care less about you.”

 

“You mean the sister who’s not a child anymore?”

 

“She’s fourteen! She shouldn’t be exposed to this life!”

 

“Vash, she’s growing up and she already knows what we do!”

 

“And I keep telling you, she shouldn’t be exposed to this life!”

 

“That’s fine, but she needs to start choosing her own decisions!”

 

“Oh, like you and Bella leaving us?!”

 

“I thought you didn’t care about our decisions Mr Neutral.”

 

“And I don’t! All I care about is Erika being safe especially in this world! She is my little sister, I won’t let her get hurt!”

 

“You know if you not careful, she could turn out like Alfred.”

 

The room became dead silent after that last comment. Erika’s hands sharply came to her mouth, holding in a gasp. Feliciano was speechless as well, his mouth hanging open. Even though he was not a member of this family, he heard what had happened through Francis. Vash’s eyes could not have been any more poisonous at the traitor. His teeth snarled, a growl forming in the back of his throat. “You… You’re lucky Feliciano called Union otherwise you’d be skewered with my bullets by now…”

 

Victor’s mouth dropped a little, his attention turning wearly back to his boss. Feliciano only looked down with a sheepish look, playing with his hands a bit. “You….called the Union…?” 

 

Feliciano nodded meekly, looking to the side now. “Si… The truth is…. there is someone out there aiming to cloud us in despair once more… I-I can’t put my finger on why but… I think that Bella’s disappearance and latest attacks on our families are connected…”

 

“Feliciano-”

 

“Feliciano!” 

 

The bang of the door cut off everyone’s thoughts. The entrance of the room darkened the silhouette of the man standing outside. The eyes of those in the room adjusted, revealing a ginger haired, freckled face staring right at the Italian man. 

 

“Ve, Seamus?” 

“No Patrick!”

“Ve?! S-Sorry I didn’t see you clearly….” 

 

Patrick sighed, twitching his fingers to beckon Feliciano to follow. “Ve… sorry Victor, I’ll be right back. Please rest…” Feliciano slipped out of his seat and silently followed the Irish man out into the mansion. Once the two slipped out of the room’s sight, Victor snapped his head to Basch. The Swiss in return growled back and took his sister by the wrist and left the traitor’s room.

 

Victor kept his dignity by staying silent as they left his vision. He sighed heavily and leaned his heavy head against the varnished bed rest, going back in time once more.

 

“Ve, Patrick, where are we going?” Feliciano asked, tilting his head slightly. Patrick didn’t reply, twisting a corner. Feliciano panicked slightly and picked up the pace. “Ve… Patrick….” Patrick lead him through twists and turns, leading the Italian down into a cellar. Feliciano began to worry slightly. Was he being lead to a torture chamber of sorts? Why did he decide to follow Patrick in the first place?

 

Feli was considering to run, until the two stopped outside a heavy oak door, greeting them with a creek of the push. 

 

Inside, Feliciano awed by the Holy force. Benches lined up facing towards an altar with beautiful red and gold stain glass windows. Figurines of angels and religious figures were scattered around the tables and pedestals, crosses hung on the walls with paintings of the Virgin Mary and her son. Soft candlelight flickered around, like holy beings guiding lost souls to the afterlife. Wax hung off every candle holder, table and shelf, making Feliciano wonder how many candles Patrick had to go through to get such thick layers of wax.

 

Patrick barely moved an inch inside before he crossed his chest, and recited the mumble of a prayer.

 

Patrick stepped in further when done in prayer, letting Feliciano to follow. Feliciano’s strong Catholic upbringing tugged at him to cross his chest as he entered and closed the door softly behind them. Feliciano slowly looked around the candlelit building admiring the details of the paintings and figurines around.

 

A soft shuffle scrapped softly behind Feli, catching his attention. Patrick’s green eyes flickered in the orange glow, as he was replacing melted candles with brand new ones. Feliciano stepped in softly, eyeing the strong candle that would soon melt into a mess.

 

“Ve, I didn’t know there was a church under the mansion….”

 

“Mmm. It’s been here since our father died.”

 

“Oh, I see…. But I thought Ludwig was Protestant.”

 

“He is. But he used to be Catholic. In fact, he was the one who ordered this place built.”

 

“Eh?! R-Really?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Patrick groaned as he sat down on the only place cleared of dust, cobwebs, and neglect. He leaned forward rubbing his face with his palms, and dragged them down his face. “After father died, Ludwig decided to convert to Catholicism as the public saw us as evil beings greater than God himself. Most of us followed his lead, built this church underneath and all. But one day, he came home distraught, ranting that he didn’t want to be Catholic anymore. One by one, everyone stopped coming here until only I remain.” Feliciano looked up and around once more. Indeed it looked out of use, but he could sense Patrick was doing the best he could. 

 

“B-But why bring me here?”

 

“You’re Catholic too, not to mention this is sacred ground. Think of this as a neutral area for us.”

 

**OST Suggestion:** **Masamune-kun no Revenge - Heartbreak**

 

Feli stood still for a while, the fluttering dust swirling around his body. The dark room bounced in echos, deep silence between them. He stepped forward, swiping the dust away with his hand and sat down. The paintings and alter flickered in time with the candle flames, the stain glass windows were covered in grime and dirt, but you could see a faint figure kneeling in prayer, or the shape of the cross in some of them.

 

Patrick reached into the inner pocket of his jacket and dragged out a white plastic cylinder, placing it between his middle and index finger. He lifted the end of the cylinder to his lips and sucked in a deep breath and let it out, his head falling onto the bench. Feliciano watched on, his mind reeling with uncomfortable thoughts. 

 

“Don’t worry this is just a nicorette inhaler. Tryna stop smoking.” Patrick reassured with a wave of the hand. “You know even though I hate my brothers, some more than others, I never wish them ill will. Except Arthur cause he’s a pain. Anyway my point is, I will always defend my brothers and sisters and swore never to raise my gun against them unless they become monsters. Which leads me to my next question….” Patrick tilted his head to the side, his eyes losing their calm shine into a cold daggered stare.

 

“Do you intend to turn them fully against us?”

 

Feliciano trembled slightly at his glare and turned his head down into a guilty pout. “N-No, I mean… I… It’s just that….W-We received intel that The Gotts were participating in illegal practices, and we were worried that you were going down the same path again… and we sent Bella and Victor because they could speak Dutch and German a-and we weren’t going to attack I swear we were only going to talk if you were hiding anything I swear!”

 

Patrick squinted at the flailing man, scanning his face for any lie or mistrust in his look. He sighed through open nostrils, staring at the ceiling. “I’ll believe you this time… but Victor is upstairs injured and Bella is nowhere to be found! She could be lying dead at the bottom of the ocean for all we know!”

 

Feliciano flinched slightly, trying to hide his face in his shrugged shoulders. “S-She’s not! I can feel it, she’s alive somewhere. Besides, we’re mafia…. We all know that we constantly put our lives on the line. Of course if someone really did die on our watch, I wouldn’t forgive myself. I think if something happened to you on a mission, Ludwig wouldn’t forgive himself either…”

 

Patrick’s soul bubbled with mixed emotions. He was angry that Feliciano could have potentially sent Bella to her death, but at the same time, Patrick understood that each mission could be their last. Everyone in each family knew that.

 

Patrick growled in confusion, rubbing his forehead with his hands. “I know I said this is sacred ground, but I swear if something did happen to her I will end you with my bare hands…”

 

The two sat in silence a little longer, until a glitch echoed from the Irishman’s pocket.  _ “Patrick, is Feliciano with you? We looked over the house and he isn’t anywhere to be found.” _

 

Patrick shoved a hand into his back pocket with a sight, pulling out a black walkie talkie. “Yeah, he’s with me. We’re just….” Patrick sighed stiffly, pulling the black box away a bit before continuing. “Talking is all. Are you guys ready?”

 

_ “Yeah, Eduard just decoded the last firewall. Where are you guys anyway, I tried calling your mobiles and it went straight to voicemail. You’re not trying to avoid us, are you? I’m hurt if that’s the case.” _

 

“Shut it Seamus!”

 

A laugh chiseled through the walkie talkie before Seamus began to talk again.  _ “Anyway, bring Feli with you. I’ll see you in a bit.” _

 

Click!

 

The Irishman pushed himself up, dusting his legs. “Come on, before Ludwig decides to have the whole place topsy turvy for you.” Feliciano nodded as he stood up. He sniffled a bit, the dust tickling his nose, following Patrick out.

 

“Ah, Feliciano, Patrick. Glad you’re here. Edward just finished the final connection.” Dylan nodded to the Estonian who responded with a friendly smile and a wave. Feliciano looked around the room. A camera, table, and chair set up in front of a white wall.

 

“Feliciano.”

 

“Ve?”

 

Ludwig towered over Feliciano, wanting to say something. Instead, he wrangled out a sigh and looked at the direction of the camera. “You know what you what to say ja?”

 

“S-Si… I know what I want to say… Even though I’m not good at talking with my own family, this is something different. Everyone is at stake. If one family falls, it won’t be long until we fall too.”

 

Ludwig nodded with an agreeing grunt and looked back at Feliciano. “Well, you better make the announcement. Before the families find out we cracked their defenses and we get into another pointless argument.”

 

The Italian sat softly down into the chair, hands firmly intertwined. He stared into the lens, feeling like it was the barrel of the gun. He took a deep breath, his body shaking slightly.

 

“Feliciano, you’ll be live in five…”

 

_ “What am I doing? I could be dragging everyone into more danger if I do this.” _

 

“Four.”

 

_ “But everyone’s already been attacked, and if I don’t do this then…” _

 

“Three.”

 

_ “We can’t let this happen….” _

 

“Two.”

 

_ “That’s right. We are the World. If we back down now, then we’ll be putting all our people in danger…” _

 

“One.”

 

Feliciano looked at the blinking red light until it stabilized. He took a deep breath and began.

 

“Regazzi, as you all know...”


	24. Exposed

“Mmmm….”

His eyes forced themselves open, staring blindly at a familiar ceiling. His neck felt stiff, arms heavy like lead. His legs felt like there was a thousand needles pricking into his legs. He groaned as he let his arms push himself up. 

“Argh!”

He felt a sharp sting in his stomach, his hand subconsciously covering where he felt the pain. It was only then he felt the soft cloth wrapped around his lower half of his body. “What the hell… Why does it hurt?” He gritted, shifting higher on the bed. His brain sloshed as he moved, his larynx holding back gags.

He slowly craned his neck to his bedside table water and medicine on the table waiting patiently. He stared at the pills and the glass of water before looking around the room. It was fuzzier than he remembered. Oh right, he had to rub his eyes first.

He rubbed them with the back of his hand and looked around the room once more. Nothing had changed. Maybe the room looked a little bit cleaner but that was it.

The door suddenly opened with a sweet tune following. He looked up, a mediterranean girl entering with a bowl on a tray. She stopped humming and stared at him, he staring back. Her eyes widened as the grip from the tray slipped further and further from her fingers, until the tray dropped with a clang.

“C-Carlos…” She gasped, her hands clasped over her mouth, holding back her tears. “M-Michelle…?” Carlos stuttered back, his throat hoarse from not talking so long. She couldn’t hold it in anymore. She ran towards him, flinging her arms around his neck as she cried. “Carlos! Thank goodness you’re alright! We were all so worried!” 

“Ow ow ow ow Michelle that hurts!”

“Michelle are you alright?! What happened?!”

Will ran into the room, the crunch of the split porcelain and soup cracking and sloshing beneath his feet. He gasped deeply, everyone else following in. “Carlos! You’re awake!” Everyone crowded around his bed, kneeling down as Michelle let go.

“Carlos! Thank goodness!”

“We were so worried!”

“How are you feeling?”

Everyone clambered over each other with confessions of relief and happiness. Carlos was a bit shocked at the sudden wave of visitors, but smiled as he looked at his family.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He smiled, then noticed there was someone missing. “Hey, where’s Christian?” Carlos asked. “Christian? He went to China to meet with Lei.” Matthew said with a whisper, offering Carlos the glass and medicine from the bedside table earlier. Carlos whispered a thank you and gulped them down with a bit of difficulty.

“Hey, do you remember anything?” Roshan asked, leaning into the bed. “I remember delivering the notes to Alejandro, then walking down the alleyway and then…”

“You got shot.” Alinaswe finished, folding his arms. Carlos nodding in confirmation. “Hey, how long have I been asleep for?” He asked, looking around the room. “About three days.” Michelle whispered, clutching her dress slightly.

Carlos looked around, still a little dazed. The smiles of all of them, while being genuine, did seem a little forced. He looked down, his fists grasping the sheets slightly.

“Something happened didn’t it…”

Everyone instantly dropped the smiles, their eyes shining down onto the floor. “Carlos… The truth is-”

BANG!

Everyone jumped at the loud crash from downstairs. “W-What was that?!” Carlos exclaimed, almost jumping out of the bed, only to be stopped by pain. “Carlos, don’t!” William ordered. There was muffled yelling and orders of standing down, before multiples of heavy thuds followed in wake. Bangs followed by tremors came at least once every ten seconds, the door bursting open by a bloody security guard.

“Boss, bad news! Someone bust in with a bazooka! The squads are dropping like flies!”

Everyone paled at the news. This was not good. They had an injured man with them and someone somehow figured who they were. But who was it? Yao?

“Alfred. William and I will take care of this. Ricardo, take everyone and evacuate to the Warehouse!” 

“Mattie wait-” Alfred reached out for them, but they were already gone to deal with the situation. “Alfred don’t worry they’ll be fine! We have to get Carlos out of here!” Alinaswe yelled, on cue another shake of rubble and low booming. With not a moment to waste, Ricardo and Roshan put their backs and hands onto a bookshelf and gave it a push. The floor scrapped the wood, a black entry hidden behind. Alinaswe grabbed Carlos by the arm and wrapped it around his shoulders, slowly supporting him up to avoid him re-opening his wound. 

“Let’s go let’s go!” Ricardo prompted, Alinaswe and Carlos just going through. Just as Alfred was about to enter next, Michelle heard a crack from above. She eyed above her leader’s head and felt her world slow down. She leaped forward, wrapping her arms around Alfred’s waist as they both flew forward through the passageway door. 

They both slid on the floor as the ceiling plaster landed on the spot Alfred was just standing. “A-Alfred I’m so sorry, are you alright?!” She panicked, pushing herself up. “No, I’m fine, thanks for saving me!”

Michelle simply nodded, Ricardo pulling both of them up to their feet. “Come on, we better go before we get buried in rubble!” 

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

BOOM!

An agony of screams chorusted as the guards flew in all directions. “Booooring! Come on is there anyone here?!” A girl yelled, swinging a bat around onto the back of her shoulders. She gave a muffled sigh through her mask, adjusting the helm of her dress. “I thought this was a mafia family there should be more of a challenge!”

Heavy clinks of metal twitched the intruder’s ear, her sharp eyes swiftly detecting the culprit of the sound. A chain with iron jaws opened at her waist, only jumping as the spikes almost clamped her petite figure. Another soft rustle behind her making her senses increase once more and round off to the left as soon as she landed, narrowly avoiding a heavy blow of the fist that struck the ground into cracks.

“Whoop!” The girl stumbled a bit, but regained her balance with a gymnast's ending. With a huff she dusted her shoulder and scanned her opponents. The man who punched the marble ground rolled his back up, cracking his shoulders and neck as his partner leapt to his side, swinging his weapon’s head. 

“So you’re the hooser that’s wrecking our house eh?” 

The girl only giggled, swinging her bat playfully. “Well you didn’t answer when I knocked. Well actually someone did but it wasn’t who I wanted. So I hit him with my bat.” The girl giggled. “And who are you looking for?” The New Zealand man asked with a cautious voice.

The girl gave a playful hum, a finger to her soft lips and twisting her hips from side to side. “The leader of this mafia.” You could hear the smirk coming from behind that mask. “Sorry, we’re not mafia. Just executives for a company.” William claimed with a straight face. “Heh. Executives with a bear trap at the end of a chain and superhuman strength?”

Matthew cracked his knuckles and readied his fighting stance, Will swinging the chain and trap with a harder force. “Yeah well, we’re special executives.” And with that, William threw his weapon at the girl and she leaped up with the grace of a gymnast and kicked the chain down with her heel, pinning the chain down with a detachable knife from her shoe. Once the knife was detached, rendering the New Zealand man’s weapon immobile, she ran at the wielder at top speed, swinger her bat back. As she swung her bat down, Matthew tackled her before the metal weapon could contact William’s skull. 

The girl continued the falling momentum, using both her legs to kick the Canaidian in the stomach, causing him to fly onto his back. The girl swung her bat up onto her shoulder as the metal morphed into a gun, aiming it at William. His eyes widened and fled just as she fired into the concrete, leaving cracks in the polished floor. She fired after his footsteps, the residue flying in its wake.

William tsked, diving into the fire. He slid under the wall of bullets, pulling the pin that held the chain down. With a flick of his wrist, he pulled the chain to attempt to trip the intruder up, but she jumped before she could trip. 

“Heh.”

The girl cocked her head slightly, before she felt a heavy blow to the side of her body. She screamed and felt her body roll. She growled, pushing herself up with raw, wild eyes. She gave a scream and clawed herself up, but felt herself being forced back in a tight trap. She began to scream, going into a full toddler tantrum as she struggled to break free from the jaws grasp.

“Target acquired.” William grumbled to Matthew, amazed that his partner to hear him over her screams. “Alright, let’s bring her to Alfred then.”  
BANG!

Matthew jumped, his body swinging around for the location of the sound. “W-Where did that come from?!”

THUD!

Matthew’s world slowed down, watching his partner fall into a puddle of his own blood. 

“W-Will!”

BANG!

A sharp pain panged through William’s chest. He couldn’t breathe, warm fluids seeping into his clothing. He could feel his body grow cold and light, swaying from side to side. As he fell, he heard a muffled bang but there was no pain to his body.

Then, it all went black.


End file.
